Former vice premier Gheorghe Pogea could be Bucharest city manager

Bucharest’s general mayor Adriean Videanu has said that former vice premier Gheorghe Pogea (photo) could be appointed as Bucharest’s “city manager”, contracting loans for the projects the City Hall has initiated: the ring road, the underground passage to Otopeni, as well as new subway lines and stations. Videanu said he was considering the possibility of appointing the former state minister as Bucharest’s city manager after he discusses the proposal with PNL (Liberal Party) and PD (Democrat Party) advisers. According to Videanu, the city manager is a “single administrator, who can be charged with loan contractor responsibilities”. “Pogea is one of this country’s very best managers. For the projects we have currently implemented in the capital city, I would need a man just like Pogea,” said the mayor of Bucharest. He pointed to the need to build the capital city’s ring road, a direct way throughout Bucharest from Basarab passageway to Piata Sudului, as well as a new entry by Lacul Morii, on the Bucharest-Pitesti highway, which should go up to Splaiul Dambovitei, to the Bucharest-Constanta highway. Videanu added the public transportation policy would also be finalised, by the setting up of a metropolitan transportation Authority, which would define the subway as the main means of transportation, with buses and trams to be secondary means. The mayor also stated the need for more subway stations and that the Drumul Taberei-Pantelimon subway line is also due to be built.