https://www.site/2018-04-12/pochemu_chelyabinskuyu_gordumu_pokinula_edinstvennaya_zhenchina_deputat
“She said that her husband set a condition ...”
Why the Chelyabinsk City Duma left the only woman deputy
The decision to resign the deputy of the Chelyabinsk City Duma and the Council of Deputies of the Central District, Marina Karelina, came as a surprise to most of the participants in the political circles of the South Urals. Two days ago, she was seen at a meeting of a representative body, where the head of the city, Yevgeny Teftelev, reported on his work. Then she said nothing to her colleagues. Immediately after that, judging by her Facebook page, Marina Karelina flew to Thailand. She does not comment. Meanwhile, different versions of what happened are expressed in the political party, up to the most exotic ones.
Telegram channels were the first to report Marina Karelina's departure from the representative body. Most of her colleagues were not aware of what was happening, some learned the news from the media. Nevertheless, closer to dinner, an official confirmation from the City Council appeared. At the same time, the press service of the representative body clarified that the decision to recall the people's choice from the City Duma would be made by the district council of deputies, since he delegated her there, at a meeting on April 19, 2018. On this day, as they say in the City Duma, Marina Karelina promises to tell about the reasons for her act. She is not available for comment yet.
“For my part, I can say that Marina Vladimirovna is a strong deputy. She actively works in her district and successfully implements creative social projects, she always has a special look. Marina Vladimirovna is the only woman in the City Duma and has always graced all meetings and events,” commented Stanislav Mosharov, speaker of the Chelyabinsk City Duma.
Meanwhile, surrounded by Marina Karelina, they unofficially say that she made the decision to resign her deputy mandate a few weeks ago ..
Other sources of our online newspaper, however, took this message skeptically. “Marina Karelina, her status as a deputy did not interfere at all with her own affairs. She did not constrain herself in her movements, recently she traveled a lot with her women's amateur football team "FIFA 74". Yes, many deputies are disappointed today and say that they will not go to the polls next time - there are more restrictions than bonuses. But this is not a reason for hastily resigning a year before the elections. And, if such a wish came from the husband of Marina Karelina, then there must be very good reasons for this, ”our source argues.
She will name the reasons. The Chelyabinsk Duma confirmed the resignation of Marina Karelina
It should be noted that the deputy's husband, businessman Alexander Karelin, once had great influence in Chelyabinsk. He owns the Park City hotel complex, the scandalous underground mall near the Kurchatov monument, as well as a lot of other real estate. Once upon a time, a married couple controlled passenger traffic in the city. It is believed that the friendship with the former city manager of Chelyabinsk Sergey Davydov helped the successful development of businesses. However, today Davydov is under investigation, and other structures are gradually taking over passenger transportation.
“Recently, the ring around the Karelins has narrowed. There may be many reasons for this, such as the criminal case of Sergei Davydov (today it does not intersect with the interests of the deputy's family, but no one can rule out the possibility of new episodes). Problems may also arise from partner Marcel Yusupov. It is possible that the Karelins decided, just in case, to obtain a second citizenship or a residence permit abroad, or they bought some property that they do not want to declare. And, since it is forbidden for a deputy to have dual citizenship, the mandate had to be sacrificed. If so, this fact would have been revealed and Marina Karelina would have lost her status at the request of the prosecutor's office. And now she has the opportunity to leave beautifully, to make a knight's move. Now everyone will remember her,” reasoned one of the businessmen, who asked not to be named.
“Nothing will surprise me. The Karelins have a lot of property in different cities, including abroad. Not so long ago they went to Spain. These people can afford to live wherever they want. There are not so many prospects in Chelyabinsk today,” political circles say.In addition, one of the interlocutors suggested that the incident was connected with the formation of a new composition of the Public Chamber of the region. “Some Chelyabinsk deputies have already been given to understand that their nomination and passage to the new convocation in 2019 will not be agreed upon. To stay on the agenda, they were offered to enter the Public Chamber, the formation of which is being completed. Perhaps Marina Karelina agreed to this option, ”says one of her colleagues.
https://www.site/2017-01-09/marina_karelina_o_politicheskih_ambiciyah_legkih_dengah_i_emigracii_iz_chelyabinska
"I live like Scarlett O'Hara"
Marina Karelina on political ambitions, easy money and emigration from Chelyabinsk
The only woman member of the Chelyabinsk City Duma, Marina Karelina, says she and her husband are workaholics who work harder than many other businessmen. And, in her opinion, it is successful entrepreneurs who are ideal deputies, since they have both a resource for solving many problems and an understanding of how to do it. In an interview, the site Marina Karelina talks about how the year went for her business, why she does not want to leave Chelyabinsk and what will happen to her business projects that have not received approval from the authorities.
‒ What do you remember about the past year in the City Council?
‒ The social project “Time to be happy” has become an important part of the parliamentary work. I really like how it develops. We made a big festival, many small events took place, this year we plan to hold a ball and rebroadcast the project to several cities of the Chelyabinsk region.
‒ Deputation takes a lot of time?
‒ A lot of time and effort is spent on work both in the district Duma and in the City Duma. If in business you adjust the team to suit you, and people give you ideas and energy, then in a thought you feel that at least half of the people take energy from you.
‒ And which of your fellow deputies can you call a comrade-in-arms?
“In general, I like people from whom you can learn something. I like Stas Novichikhin, he is a great professional in his field. I like Mikhail Dedovich, he heads a modern glass factory. This is a very smart production. They make only 11% of orders for Chelyabinsk, everything else goes to Kazan, Moscow. In fact, there are many people in the Duma that I like. Some of these people ended up in ours, which we made for the 20th anniversary of local government. I know that Vitaly Rylskikh puts a lot of effort and soul into solving social issues in his district and beyond.
‒ All the people you mentioned are businessmen...
‒ I think that the ideal deputy is a person with money, from business, but with a socially oriented heart. The businessman understands how everything works. And if he manages successfully in one area, then he will cope with deputy work. Most deputies work on a voluntary basis. They do not receive a salary if they are not employed in the Duma on a permanent basis. Someone does not understand why he came to the Duma, someone is important status, and someone really came to help. And it is easier for a businessman to do this, he has a resource. A classical social activist can only talk about the problem, and it is not a fact that it will be solved.
‒ It was said a lot that the Duma for you is only the beginning of a career in politics, that you want to become the head of the Central District...
‒ I was misunderstood. I wanted to become the head of the district even before the elections. But she did not and went to the polls. And now there are so many cases that I'm even happy with this outcome. I worked in the city administration, was an assistant to the vice-mayor for social issues, and I know well what kind of work it is. I don't want to be an official. I think Viktor Ereklintsev did not take these rumors seriously.
‒ Tell us how 2016 was for your business.
‒ Everything was cool. First, we opened the Old City Hotel. I really like it, and people are happy. We attached the building to the Balkan Grill restaurant and made it in the same historical style. We have a corner of Europe there. This is the business I'm proud of. Secondly, we completed the building of the ParkCity Hotel. It will have a swimming pool, and there will be a fountain near the building. I really want it to be near the hotel, something for people. Where you could walk. Business is also developing in Ufa.
‒ Has something been decided with your site on Lenina Prospekt, where you were forbidden to build a new hotel?
‒ No, nothing has been decided. Everyone expects us to be upset. Everyone asks about this area. And we don't get upset. We have things to do. And if there is less load, then this is also not bad. Everyone thinks that if my colleagues didn’t sign something for me, then I should get embittered. And I didn’t even know who spoke out against the project. My husband and I do not want to cultivate this aggression in ourselves. Over the years, apparently, we become philosophers. We believe that energy should be directed towards creation, not destruction. From the fact that we will be angry with someone, we will not get anything.
‒ Is the story of the Kurchatov shopping mall, which is being asked to cut down the roof, not a reason to get angry?
‒ As for the roof, my opinion is this: if all the historical buildings in Chelyabinsk were put in proper condition, then the roof could be cut down. If only it interfered with the appearance of our deeply cultural city. And in fact, Kurchatov's legs are perfectly visible from Lenin Avenue. Everyone was worried that the legs would not be visible. And they are visible. We have a lot of beautiful old buildings in the city center that need to be restored. We will restore all of them, then we can file the roofs. Is that reasonable?
‒ But, if suddenly, how is it possible to remove the roof from the constructed complex?
‒ I, like Scarlett O'Hara, will think about it tomorrow.
- Did you manage to build a dialogue with the city authorities?
‒ You know, there are people who build a dialogue, and there are people who work. We belong to the second category. I don't understand why everyone is so worried about whether we have agreed or not. It seems to me that such attention is riveted to my husband and me for the following reason: people earn money to spend it, go somewhere, burn something, buy a watch, a ring, a car. And my husband and I are just workaholics, and it annoys everyone a little that we don’t walk with gypsies, we don’t drink mulled wine in Courchevel, etc. We just work. More than 90% of businessmen. And I think the government sees this and must appreciate it a little.
‒ Many people note this trend: business is fleeing the city, cafes are being sold, people are moving south or to the capital. Do you see this movement?
‒ For many years, the state gave easy money to earn: bought, sold, did not pay taxes. Business conditions are changing now. Business is very competitive, and there are much more taxes than before, plus you have to pay white salaries and so on. The one who wants to make quick money is removed and goes to the south. But not because there are no taxes in Sochi, it's just that everything is developing there now and is well financed. For quick money, probably for startups, this situation is good. And if you built something in the city, for example, a factory or a hotel, then in honor of what will you leave? To breathe fresh air? It's great, but at our age it won't help much anymore. I like the concept: I don’t need to fly away for three days to take my mind off things. The migration of thinking businessmen is normal. But this is not a reason for us to be sad here. Now every year it will become more and more difficult to earn money. Seven years ago, I went to Canada for an internship. Then the profitability of my business was 50%. When I looked at their financial statements with a profit margin of 8%, I even felt sorry for them. And now I understand that it is possible to live with such profitability. I think that the time of cunning people will soon pass and the time will come smart.
‒ How do you feel about the fashion to scold your city?
‒ It really pisses me off that people litter. I regularly spend community work days in the park and I know for sure that this garbage was not thrown there by Teftelev or Dubrovsky, but by ordinary citizens. I'm constantly arguing with people over garbage. I open the window at the traffic light and speak for the discarded cigarette butt. I would put vigilantes in the park and on the streets so that they would fine people for every thrown piece of paper. We ourselves are not of high internal culture. If you pass through the sleeping areas and see what is happening under the windows, you will simply be horrified. It was not the authorities who threw it, but the people themselves. We have what we deserve.
‒ As a businessman who shapes the urban environment, do you have an opinion on what Chelyabinsk lacks?
‒ We lack aesthetics. This is especially evident in outdoor advertising. Streamers hang in the center of the city: in big red letters "Rent!" Space in my building is freed up, but my hand does not rise to hang such a banner on my building. And in the center it can be done. Or another example: our restaurant "Balkan Grill", and next to it is a historical building, hung with banners, there is no living place on it. I'm worried about this lurid presentation. For me, Chelyabinsk is not ugly, I have seen many cities and still love Chelyabinsk. To love your city, you need a different mood. But there is room to grow. I think we lack educational projects. In order not just to whine about how bad everything is, but to critically comprehend the situation, a person must be smart, he must understand the topics. People need to be told and explained. We need more interest clubs, open lectures and things like that. At the same time, we have another very positive trend that is developing on its own, outside the context of power. We have a whole stratum of "Zozhevtsev" growing. If you arrive at the ski base on the weekend, you simply won't park. I don't think this has ever happened. Among my acquaintances and friends, a lot of people became non-drinkers, runners, skiers. This is a very good topic. Chelyabinsk has become a sports city, and this is also a point of growth.
Project "Power with a human face"
The Chelyabinsk City Duma hosted a presentation of an electronic exhibition project dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the local self-government of the city of Chelyabinsk, "Power with a human face." Representatives of authorities took part in the photo project - deputies of the Chelyabinsk City Duma, employees of the Administration of Chelyabinsk, regional authorities, officials. The author and organizer of the project is Marina Karelina, a deputy of the Chelyabinsk City Duma. Officials and government officials appear in the project as people doing what they love or in an image that is unusual for themselves and others.
The main objective of the Power with a Human Face project is to show that people working in government bodies have the same set of life values as any other person - family, love, patriotism, caring for loved ones, taste for life. Individual images were created for each participant, and photo shoots were held in specially selected interiors. Each portrait is accompanied by a life credo and motto.
Karelina Marina Vladimirovna, Deputy of the Chelyabinsk City Duma, organizer of the project:
“This project is not about politicians or officials. This is a project about people. Many believe that people working in power are very closed, inaccessible. But in fact, this prevailing stereotype has not worked for a long time. So we tried to show people from an angle that is unusual for others, to reveal them from the other side. This is a kind of antithesis to the image cliché of an official. Perhaps that is why there were no refusals to participate. And those who, for one reason or another, could not find time to participate in the project, were very sorry.”
Kotova Natalya Petrovna, First Deputy Head of Chelyabinsk, project participant:
“Participation in this project was a new experience for me. Many of my friends who saw me in the project did not immediately recognize me, it came as a complete surprise to them. Then I heard a lot good reviews. It’s nice to sometimes break away from daily activities and feel like a woman.”
Savin Gleb, project photographer:
“Working with such people turned out to be specific, but also very interesting. They were never late for filming, but there was catastrophically little time for work. On average, to reveal a person, I had only 15 minutes. Therefore, there was no time for reflection, it was necessary to instantly establish contact and improvise. Unexpectedly, but on the set, no one tried to direct. Everyone listened to my commands."
Marina Zanko, project stylist:
“I did not expect that it would be so interesting to work on creating images for the project. Given the busyness of the participants, we ourselves had to select clothes for them, not having the opportunity to try them on. Almost everything we did intuitively. After all, before the project, I had not seen these people. And I’m glad that all the participants liked the result.”
A total of 19 people took part in the project. According to the organizers, the project turned out to be very popular. So it is possible that the project "Power with a human face" will be continued.
The project will be posted on the website of the Chelyabinsk City Duma and the Administration of Chelyabinsk.
The deputy of the Chelyabinsk City Duma Marina Karelina wrote a statement on early resignation. Ms. Karelina did not explain the reasons for her decision. According to experts, the departure of the deputy may be associated with problems in the family business that arose as a result of a change in local government. Political scientists believe that next year the City Duma will be formed under the influence of business clans, which can take a dominant position in the body of representative power, and even change the speaker.
Marina Karelina, the only woman in the first convocation of the Chelyabinsk City Council, will resign in a week. The fact of the refusal of the mandate was confirmed by the press service of the City Duma, noting that Ms. Karelina will retain the status of a deputy until her colleagues from the Central District of Chelyabinsk accept their resignation at the next meeting. “The district council delegated Marina Vladimirovna to the composition of the deputy corps of the city duma, and only in its authority to accept and satisfy her request for resignation. On April 19, at their meeting, the district deputies will consider this issue and make a decision. For my part, I can say that Marina Vladimirovna is a strong deputy. She actively works in her district and successfully implements creative social projects, she always has a special look. Marina Vladimirovna is the only woman in the City Duma and has always graced all meetings and events,” commented Stanislav Mosharov, Chairman of the City Duma. According to the head of the district council Alexander Khlyzov, “there is no talk of by-elections yet,” since the deputy has not officially resigned. The press service of the City Duma noted that, most likely, a new deputy in the 15th constituency will be elected in September.
Marina Karelina herself was not available for comment - she did not answer calls and messages. According to the geolocation on Facebook, the deputy is in Thailand. At the same time, Mrs. Karelina took part in the work of the standing committees and in the meeting of the city duma on April 10. Contact with her husband, a major South Urals businessman Alexander Karelin, as well as his brother Sergei Karelin, who heads the council of deputies of the Traktorozavodsky district, also failed: their phones did not answer.
According to political scientist Andrei Lavrov, Marina Karelina's departure from the City Council may be due to problems in the family business, which covers almost all profitable areas of activity. In particular, the assets of the Karelin family include Satka Khlebokombinat OJSC, the bus station in the Yunost DC, the Kurchatov shopping mall, the ParkCity hotel and a number of other facilities. Entrepreneurs at the expense of shares in the business are considered close to the former head of the administration of Chelyabinsk, Sergei Davydov, who is now under house arrest due to suspicions of major fraud. Chelyabinsk political scientists believed that thanks to the patronage of the ex-head, the Karelin family launched a business in Chelyabinsk, which, after the change of power, began to incur losses. Several land plots owned by Alexander Karelin were voluntarily returned to the municipality.
According to Spark-Interfax, Marina Karelina owns various shares in Investstroy LLC, the Balkan LLC restaurant, Iremelpark LLC (Ufa), the Time to Be Happy! Fund, and she also heads Parkcity Management Company LLC ". Alexander Karelin owns in different shares the Satka Bakery, Miass Bus Station LLC, Gagarin Kite Club LLC, Investstroy LLC, KPP-Magnitogorsk LLC, Seven-Stroy LLC, the Severnoye dacha non-profit partnership , Solar LLC, TOK Kosmos LLC, Chelyabinsk Energy Service Company JSC, SK Event-Stroy LLC, Jupiter 2010 LLC (Snezhinsk).
“Most likely, this is due to some difficulties in the business of her husband. Logically, I don't see any explanation. We are well aware that an entrepreneur cannot be active without having a strategic lobby. The Karelins cannot be considered a separate group, they were “close to”, and now they are in a state of confusion. This all translates into a withdrawal from the region, as it was after the departure of [the first mayor of Chelyabinsk, Vyacheslav] Tarasov. Criminal cases may follow, so sometimes it’s better to leave. There are no sinless deputies,” Andrei Lavrov suggested in a conversation with Kommersant-South Ural. The political scientist also noted that “there is already a serious political struggle between various groups” claiming seats in the City Duma, which will be re-elected in 2019. “The line-up will change dramatically. During the period of preparations for the SCO and BRICS summits, when very serious money will come to the city, the Duma can either block or help in the implementation of certain projects. Trades are already underway, but I would not talk about the element of preparation. Now everyone is thinking, counting, watching, gathering their resources. It will be a little voluntaristic to predict how the roster will change, but I can say for sure that new players will appear. It is quite obvious that the RMK will participate, but we do not know whether it is openly or secretly, because the deputies can hide it. Now there are about seven groups in the Duma, although this is a very conditional division, because one person can belong to several clans,” the expert commented.
Political scientist Alexei Shirinkin refrained from commenting on Marina Karelina's departure from politics. He also suggested that the deputy corps would change, but found it difficult to judge its future composition. “If we are talking about the SCO and BRICS summits, there are Moscow interests, it is obvious that there will be federal developers, because the projects are federal. But to what extent will they look for some kind of partner here? A vacuum of power and business is being formed today in the place of the Yurevich group, there is talk of selling Makfa, Prospekt, which is supposedly being bought by Magnit. So the question is: will “Magnet” play any games here or not? In general, I would not say that the SCO and BRICS will lead to a reformatting of Chelyabinsk politics,” Mr. Shirinkin believes.
Experts partially agreed that the changes may affect the current speaker of the City Duma, Stanislav Mosharov, who has headed the representative body since 2010. “In principle, he suits everyone now, but in fact Mosharov does not lead the group. A lot of “toothy” applicants are applying for his place, they will deal with each other. Judging by what I see, Mosharov would very much like to move to the federal level. Here he suits everyone as a compromise figure, but I do not think that he will be able to hold on to this position. I believe that it will be “thrown off” during the sale. He has his own group, which is very small and, in fact, not very resourceful,” Mr. Lavrov suggested. Aleksey Shirinkin believes that Mr. Mosharov's candidacy "satisfies everyone", so "it is quite possible that he will stay." "There is a risk, but we do not know who will be in power in a year and a half," the expert stressed.