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Professional poker player Max Katz hit the big time two months ago ­ but not in the gambling business. He became one of the first independents to win a municipal council seat in Moscow, in the Shchyukino district, galvanizing the protest movement with a small victory that is already serving as an example to others.
file photoKatz didn't win by making election promises. Instead he told voters the story of his life. At 27, he runs a poker business that employs 500 people, and takes a keen interest in urban development.

"I'm curious to see how it works from the inside," Katz said about his work on the municipal council. "It's also a good opportunity to tell people about my ideas that can make living in Russian cities more comfortable."

Katz may take a turn for even bigger politics on June 17, if his friend, top blogger Ilya Varlamov, wins the race for mayor of Omsk, a western Siberian city with a population of 1.1 million people. In early April a group of Omsk activists invited Varlamov, a reputed photo-blogger who often writes about urban infrastructure problems, to take part in the elections, and he agreed.

Now, if his supporters gather 10,000 signatures by May 7, Varlamov can register as a candidate, and Katz will be his campaign chief. The two have already decided that in case Varlamov wins the election, Katz will be in charge of transportation in Omsk, Katz told The Moscow News in an interview. Another famous blogger, Artemy Lebedev, is slated to develop design and infrastructure in Omsk in case Varlamov wins.

A leading presence in the protest movement over the winter, these bloggers have shifted the focus from the Kremlin to their own communities since Vladimir Putin's re-election on March 4 ­ and realized that work on the smaller issues will be just as challenging.

Right now, Katz is trying to push through his plan to redesign a neglected local park so that Shchyukino residents will have a place to spend their leisure time. The project was met with skepticism, given that district councils in Russia are widely viewed as meaningless bodies. Katz said that in his case, 10 out of 15 members are backed by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party.

"I actually expected that there would be no normal people at all and work in this council would be complete idiocy," he said. "But there's five of us, so at least it's not complete idiocy."

"Many depend on the local administration. There's a school headmaster and the chief doctor of a hospital. You can tell by their faces that they don't like to vote the way they have to."

Katz and Varlamov are focusing on their own campaign and program. On Saturday, Katz headed to Omsk to meet with locals and hold lectures on how to improve urban infrastructure.

If Varlamov is registered, Katz will run his campaign, planning to raise funds on the Internet through donations. "We'll need around $255,000. The plan is to hire 500 proactive pensioners who will go from flat to f lat telling people about our candidate." For each flat, a pensioner will receive 10 rubles ­ an incentive that Katz hopes will allow them to cover the entire city.

"The prevalent idea is that you always want to elect a mayor who will increase your salaries, but in our case there will be none of this," Katz said. "We'll make it clear that he won't solve your problems for you. He'll do what a mayor is supposed to do, that is to arrange it so that your commute to work will take 20 minutes, not 40."

Transportation and urban environment should be the main priorities, according to Katz, a strong opponent of the local administration's project to build a metro in Omsk. "A metro with only five stations will be used by 12 percent of the population, which in reality will be 5 percent," Katz said.

An alternative project for a light rail transit system he has started to develop could be used by 80 percent of the city's population, and it would a much smaller investment.

"There'll be more priorities to focus on after we get to see what's happening on the ground," he said. "For example, locals are against factories that are polluting the environment in the city. Plus, businesses should be attracted there so as to get proactive people interested in living in Omsk."

If they manage to convey this message to Omsk voters, they will succeed in the elections, Katz believes. To ensure that votes are counted properly, he plans to deploy young monitors along with his army of 500 "proactive pensioners" to the city's polling stations. "They'll fight with crooks if they see that crooks in the election commission are forging the vote and thus compromising the results of their work."

If Varlamov wins, the system of local administration will be overhauled. "We'll kick out everyone who doesn't know how to send an e-mail, and they make up 80 percent of the staff of a local administration," Katz said. "We'll hire young people, preferably under 40, who know what they want and know how to achieve it."

If Varlamov loses the vote, "it will mean that Omsk is just not ready for a mayor like that."

According to Katz, Omsk is a potential launching pad for similar changes in other cities.

"We want to work where we are welcomed," Katz said. "If I'm invited somewhere else, I'll certainly go."

Keywords: Russia, Government, Politics - Russian News - Russia

 

Professional poker player Max Katz hit the big time two months ago ­ but not in the gambling business. He became one of the first independents to win a municipal council seat in Moscow, in the Shchyukino district, galvanizing the protest movement with a small victory that is already serving as an example to others.

file photoKatz didn't win by making election promises. Instead he told voters the story of his life. At 27, he runs a poker business that employs 500 people, and takes a keen interest in urban development.

"I'm curious to see how it works from the inside," Katz said about his work on the municipal council. "It's also a good opportunity to tell people about my ideas that can make living in Russian cities more comfortable."

Katz may take a turn for even bigger politics on June 17, if his friend, top blogger Ilya Varlamov, wins the race for mayor of Omsk, a western Siberian city with a population of 1.1 million people. In early April a group of Omsk activists invited Varlamov, a reputed photo-blogger who often writes about urban infrastructure problems, to take part in the elections, and he agreed.

Now, if his supporters gather 10,000 signatures by May 7, Varlamov can register as a candidate, and Katz will be his campaign chief. The two have already decided that in case Varlamov wins the election, Katz will be in charge of transportation in Omsk, Katz told The Moscow News in an interview. Another famous blogger, Artemy Lebedev, is slated to develop design and infrastructure in Omsk in case Varlamov wins.

A leading presence in the protest movement over the winter, these bloggers have shifted the focus from the Kremlin to their own communities since Vladimir Putin's re-election on March 4 ­ and realized that work on the smaller issues will be just as challenging.

Right now, Katz is trying to push through his plan to redesign a neglected local park so that Shchyukino residents will have a place to spend their leisure time. The project was met with skepticism, given that district councils in Russia are widely viewed as meaningless bodies. Katz said that in his case, 10 out of 15 members are backed by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party.

"I actually expected that there would be no normal people at all and work in this council would be complete idiocy," he said. "But there's five of us, so at least it's not complete idiocy."

"Many depend on the local administration. There's a school headmaster and the chief doctor of a hospital. You can tell by their faces that they don't like to vote the way they have to."

Katz and Varlamov are focusing on their own campaign and program. On Saturday, Katz headed to Omsk to meet with locals and hold lectures on how to improve urban infrastructure.

If Varlamov is registered, Katz will run his campaign, planning to raise funds on the Internet through donations. "We'll need around $255,000. The plan is to hire 500 proactive pensioners who will go from flat to f lat telling people about our candidate." For each flat, a pensioner will receive 10 rubles ­ an incentive that Katz hopes will allow them to cover the entire city.

"The prevalent idea is that you always want to elect a mayor who will increase your salaries, but in our case there will be none of this," Katz said. "We'll make it clear that he won't solve your problems for you. He'll do what a mayor is supposed to do, that is to arrange it so that your commute to work will take 20 minutes, not 40."

Transportation and urban environment should be the main priorities, according to Katz, a strong opponent of the local administration's project to build a metro in Omsk. "A metro with only five stations will be used by 12 percent of the population, which in reality will be 5 percent," Katz said.

An alternative project for a light rail transit system he has started to develop could be used by 80 percent of the city's population, and it would a much smaller investment.

"There'll be more priorities to focus on after we get to see what's happening on the ground," he said. "For example, locals are against factories that are polluting the environment in the city. Plus, businesses should be attracted there so as to get proactive people interested in living in Omsk."

If they manage to convey this message to Omsk voters, they will succeed in the elections, Katz believes. To ensure that votes are counted properly, he plans to deploy young monitors along with his army of 500 "proactive pensioners" to the city's polling stations. "They'll fight with crooks if they see that crooks in the election commission are forging the vote and thus compromising the results of their work."

If Varlamov wins, the system of local administration will be overhauled. "We'll kick out everyone who doesn't know how to send an e-mail, and they make up 80 percent of the staff of a local administration," Katz said. "We'll hire young people, preferably under 40, who know what they want and know how to achieve it."

If Varlamov loses the vote, "it will mean that Omsk is just not ready for a mayor like that."

According to Katz, Omsk is a potential launching pad for similar changes in other cities.

"We want to work where we are welcomed," Katz said. "If I'm invited somewhere else, I'll certainly go."

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