Search for Mayor's Office Manager Becomes City Sport

Liepāja City Council has proven that some jobs can be done infinitely long, and one of them is searching for an office manager. For the second time, the competition has ended without results, raising suspicions that the requirements for candidates are higher than for NASA astronauts.

"We are evaluating all possibilities," explains public relations manager Zita Lazdāne, which sounds about as concrete as Riga City Council promising to fix traffic. While the municipality "evaluates resources within the internal structure," local residents are already offering their solutions. "Maybe we need to look not just at CVs, but also at the ability to survive Liepāja's wind," comments a pensioner who regularly goes to the North Pier to watch storms and considers such endurance an ideal qualification test.

Andrejs Rjabcevs left his position last August after 12 years in office, but the search for his replacement has become the city's entertainment. Linda Krasovska now performs the office manager's duties, which makes you think - maybe a competition isn't needed at all?

"In Riga, they would solve this situation with consultants for 50,000 euros," says a local entrepreneur. "But we're simply waiting for someone brave to apply: I want to work with Gunārs Ansiņš every day." While the council searches, the North Pier remains the safest place in the city - at least there you know what to expect from the storm.