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Tehran's 'man of action' mayor keeps his eye on national office
Iran's Mayor Mohammed Baqr Qalibaf has tried to boost city services while showing himself at ease on the world stage.
from the April 5, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 4
Sidewalks, emergency phone lines
During his tenure as mayor, which started in August 2005, his presence has been felt with projects as diverse as new sidewalks for Tehran's long central Vali Asr Street and the installation of street corner dumpsters, something that has led to a marked reduction in rats and stray cats. He's also worked on city earthquake preparedness in conjunction with the Swiss government.
Qalibaf created another number for municipal emergencies (137) and is credited with speeding up some road and other building projects. He has created a "Voice of the City" radio station and the Tehran municipality website, which, beside doing a countdown of the days until large projects are due to be finished, is conducting an online poll, asking Tehranis questions that range from traffic issues to billboards and public transport.
Under Qalibaf's rule, Iranians have seen a boost in green spaces, with officials boasting at the tree-planting ceremony that 2007 would mark the achievement of 3.5 million plantings for Tehran. The city is buying up empty lots and gardens and has so far created 106 new neighborhood parks – adding to a total of a 1,600-percent increase in park space since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Not all Iranians are impressed
But not all Iranians are bowled over. "This project makes the street more beautiful; before it was so old, and now it is new," says Iman Darvish, an engineering student who works in a clothes shop on Vali Asr Street, pointing to the unfinished work outside.
But Qalibaf is "just advertising," says Mr. Darvish. "He's just thinking about himself [and] only of having more power."
Will Qalibaf make a good president? "No, because he is an Army man, and his thoughts are militarily oriented," says a woman in the shop who asked not to be named, referring to Qalibaf's past as an officer in the Revolutionary Guard. "We need a man who knows what Iranians need. We need liberty – the word itself."
Since losing the presidential race, Qalibaf, who holds a PhD in political geography and still teaches, has been trying to tap into those demands by examining what has appealed to Iranians in politicians like reform-minded former President Mohammaed Khatami and regime stalwart Hashemi Rafsanjani.
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