Interview with Robert Maffin, RTI/lga expert in Romania, on FLGR s 5th anniversary - May, 2000.

I am an older American who has been working in Central and Southeastern Europe now since 1990, after having spent the major part of my career in local government and serving local government in the United States. I have worked also for the central government in the field of housing, urban development and economic development. For many years I was the executive director of a national association of public officials engaged in social housing and urban development. So it s that bundle of experience that I have tried to use to help Bulgarian develop stronger institutions and stronger local government.

What has been your involvement with the Foundation?

First let me explain why I am in Bulgaria. I first came to Bulgaria under the auspices of the University of South Carolina, which had a contract with the USAID to work with local governments and local government associations. My role was to try to encourage the development of associations, that could effectively represent and serve the elected officials, the professional staffs and the public at large. And our first effort was to seek legislative reform, very modest legislative reform and in that process the idea of the foundation emerged and, as you can see, has grown rather successfully.

How did the Foundation began?

The Foundation grew out of a series of meetings, beginning in January 1995. Those meetings were aimed to develop a legislative proposal for improving local self-government in Bulgaria. It began with a series of meetings first with five mayors from around the country. We reached the point where we had a legislative proposal, drafted by a larger group of mayors, affecting the local self-government and local, administration law. We then thought that we had to have some resources. So that early organization was called the Coalition for Local Government Reform - very informal, no pattern of leadership. So, we sought legal counsel and they advised as to form a foundation, because under Bulgarian law you had to have an association or a foundation to receive funds and spend funds on a campaign of this kind for making change in the law. At that point then we decided to create the Foundation for Local Government Reform. From the very beginning the Foundation had a twofold objective - one to seek the improvement and reform of the law to strengthen local self-government and local-self-government effectiveness. Secondly, to encourage and engage citizens and other groups in the process of local government.

Who were the founders of FLGR?

The founders were at that time the mayor of Vidin, Mladen Kamenov, the mayor of Biala, Varna, Ilian Tsonev, the mayor of Zlatograd, Ginka Kapitanova, the mayor of Stara Zagora, Anton Andronov, the mayor of Pomorie, Mihail Shterev, and the mayor of Razgrad, Venelin Uzunov. Those were the founders. Some of them as you know continued to serve with the Foundation. Anton Andronov was the first Chairman of the Foundation and, of course, Kapitanova became the Director, when she chose not to run for a second mandate in 1995.

How did this organization change throughout these years?

As you know I have not been directly involved with the Foundation for almost two years now, but I have observed from a distance. It is still my impression that the Foundation has as its primary objectives the reform of local-self-government in Bulgaria, the engagement of citizens in the process of local self-government.

That includes youth, other special segments of the public. How it goes about it is a different matter. It has changed in that regard how it goes about it. One major change from my recollection was in the (could have been as early as 1996 or 1997) the shift of the foundation toward working with NGOs, citizens, non-profit organizations relative to the amount of work it did with local governments. I think that was an important shift and it has continued to do that I believe.

How is the foundation different from other organizations in the sector?

Well, let s take the basic actors, the principle actors in local government, aside from local government officials themselves. There are essentially a series of municipal associations and the national association. The foundation is different from the others in two important aspects in terms of its structure. Number one - it does not have a membership base. The foundation has no members. Secondly, it has a board that tries to cut across the economic, social, political spectrum of Bulgaria, primarily to establish its broad reach and its non-partisan character. And I think that s very important. The associations on the other hand have a very different role as they actually are composed of members, who are local governments. And some of the other associations that of the secretaries, the financial officers in local government. They are established for the specific purpose to represent their members, so that when the National Association speaks, it speaks for local government in Bulgaria, since over 90% of the local governments are members. So, that s an important difference. I think both perspectives are vital.

How do FLGR fit in the LGI partners network as an organization?

Without a public understanding of not only what local self-government is, but what citizen role and responsibility are, then you can not have effective local government. The foundation has played that role of informing and engaging the public in local self-government. That s a role that the associations can not play except indirectly, because their basic purpose is to represent local government.

What did you gain from your partnership with the foundation?

Well, strictly speaking I am not a partner. I am an engaged supporter. But anybody, who tries to bring their knowledge and experience to another political and economic system, such as Bulgaria, I believe, learns more about their own country and, secondly, about the other country. So, you are always learning more than teaching. I think, that that s what I ve gained from the partnership.

How, according to you, the FLGR could improve itself in the future?

First, let me say that a few changes in the law, even very positive and helpful changes, do not make effective local government. They are steps, bet there are many steps to be taken. Becoming involved in local government as a citizen, accepting your responsibilities to both serve and to lead are lessons that take a long time to learn. So, you need some institutions like the Foundation for Local Government Reform to help make that happen and I would hope that in Bulgaria as foreign donors leave the country, as Bulgaria develops its own sources, that the Bulgarians themselves will see that it remains am important task to be completed and that the Foundation should be supported, therefore. The Foundation itself has become a donor, largely through the support of other donors, who have given to the foundation resources as Bulgarian institution to help to grant to other Bulgarian organizations. So long as there is that kind of donor support, it s a very vital role of the foundation and again it s a tool that the foundation should use to fulfill it s basic mission. When those donors, retreat, then the foundation must fulfill its role in other ways, as a doer perhaps, as a convener, as an illuminator, as an advocate.

How would you define the foundation in one single word?

I don t think the foundation has a word that describes its function. It s a much more complex and diverse role that the foundation has played and can play. So there are times when it may be an advocate, there are times when it may be a teacher, there are other times when it simply convenes people to talk to one another in a more civil tone.