Three secretaries of the Bar Municipality Secretariat, out of a total of nine, are serving as acting secretaries (VD), while the remaining six are serving full terms. The Bar administration website, however, lists six of them as acting secretaries, both from the local administration it manages. Dušan Raičević (Democratic Party of Socialists) say that the data is not up to date.
As they told "Vijesti", the duties of the Secretariat Secretary during the acting term are performed by three secretaries: the Secretary of the Secretariat for Urbanism and Spatial Planning Branko Orlandic, then Secretary of the Secretariat for Municipal Affairs and Transport Dejan Škerović and Secretary of the Secretariat for Local Economic Development Nikola Papic.
The remaining secretaries of the Bar municipality secretariat, according to data provided by the local government, were elected in June or August 2024. Such is the case with Stefan Šušter, who has been holding the position of Secretary of the Secretariat for Property and Investments since June last year, as well as Ivana Backović, Secretary of the Secretariat for Finance.
In June, she was appointed Svetlana Gažević, Secretary of the Secretariat for Local Self-Government, while in August they were appointed to their positions Marina Trceta, Secretary of the Secretariat for Economy, Goran Simic, Secretary of the Secretariat for Sports and Youth and Srdjan Lekic, Secretary of the Secretariat for Culture.
Orlandić has been the Acting Secretary of the Secretariat for Urbanism and Spatial Planning since the end of December, while Papić and Škerović became the Acting Heads of the Secretariat last month.
Secretaries, or heads of local government bodies, are appointed on the basis of a public competition in accordance with the law, and all candidates who meet the requirements of the competition carefully and equally undergo the evaluation process by an expert committee, the Municipality of Bar stated. Apart from the time limit, the Municipality added, there are no other restrictions on the work of the acting secretary of the secretariat in relation to the head of the full mandate.
Asked how he comments on performing his function in the Acting mandate, Papić said that from the moment he took up the position, he believed that it was an opportunity for him, as an official with 16 years of work experience in local government and a long-time manager with enviable results, to contribute to the work of the secretariat at a crucial moment.
"The President of the Municipality of Bar showed me his trust and gave me the opportunity to take over the management of the Secretariat at a time when this position was vacant, and expectations from the Secretariat in terms of local economic development were high," said Papić.
After six months of work, he said, he had the opportunity to talk to the president about this topic, who expressed satisfaction with his approach and the results achieved, and announced the launch of a public competition for the position.
Škerović, who heads the Secretariat for Communal Affairs and Transport, answered the same question that he performs his function in accordance with the law and the prescribed norm that until a public competition is announced, the function can be held in an acting mandate.
"I have communicated with the mayor, Mr. Raičević, on this issue and I expect a public competition for the secretary of this organizational unit to be announced soon," he said.
In his response to "Vijesti", he said that he sees the reason for holding the position in the fact that he is a long-time employee and manager in the Municipality of Bar, with extensive work experience and competencies in the scope of work of this secretariat, "which is what recommended him to hold this position in the coming period, in order to achieve better work results and enable the smooth functioning of the secretariat."
Part of the opposition that participates in the work of the Bar parliament, however, believes that this is not a technical but a fundamental issue. This was stated by the president of the Biram Bar-Biram Montenegro party and an opposition councilor. Radomir Novaković Cakan.
"We believe that the fact that three out of nine secretaries of the local government in Bar have been functioning in an acting capacity for some time is not just a technical issue, but an essential one - an issue of political responsibility, institutional seriousness and relations towards citizens," he told "Vijesti".
Acting president status should be the exception, not the rule, he believes, especially when it comes to key people who manage the local system. If that status drags on, he stressed, then it becomes a clear signal that the government is either not in agreement on personnel solutions, or is avoiding the responsibility that comes with permanent appointments.
"Unfortunately, this also shows that there is a lack of vision and coordination within the current majority, which, since the 2022 elections, has often been more preoccupied with mutual relations than with the systemic development of Bar," Novaković assessed.
When they, as a party, were part of the local government, in his words, they used the VD status exceptionally and in the short term, because they believe that only stable and responsible institutions can guarantee development and service to citizens.
"Today, as the opposition, but also as a political entity that does not renounce responsibility for the city in which it operates, we will continue to insist that Bar must not be a hostage to party calculations, but a space for people who have the mandate, knowledge and will to develop it," he concluded.
He sees nothing controversial in the acting appointments of key positions in the Municipality of Bar Asim Andric, head of the councilors' group of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), the ruling and most numerous party in the Bar Municipal Assembly.
Andrić noted that the status of acting manager or head of a body is not an unknown practice in other local government units, but also in many state bodies and institutions, which is ultimately recognized as a possibility by the applicable legal regulations.
"Therefore, we do not see anything problematic in relation to this issue, especially due to the fact that elected leaders and heads of local government bodies, whether in full mandate or in acting capacity, perform all their rights and obligations arising from their functions in a very responsible and, above all, legal manner, and that as a result of all this, we have a fully dedicated local administration and government in Bar that works in the interests of the citizens of Bar and improving living conditions in all segments," Andrić concluded.
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