Mayor of one of the smallest municipalities in BiH: We will make little Jezero into little Switzerland

The fact that she separated high politics from what she implements in her local community was enough for the results of Jezero Mayor Snežana Ružičić to become visible after the first year of her mandate. 

With just over 1,400 inhabitants, Jezero is among the smallest local communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located at the tripoint of the municipalities of Jajce, Šipovo, and Mrkonjić Grad in the western part of BiH, formed after the Dayton Agreement in 1995 from the former Jezero local community of Jajce. If Ružičić succeeds in her intentions to utilize the natural beauties of this small municipality, such as the Pliva River and the medicinal Đol Lake, little Jezero could become little Switzerland.

“We are still burdened by high unemployment. About 70 percent of our people are registered as unemployed, but my team and I are doing everything we can to attract investors who would create new jobs,” says Mayor Ružičić in an interview for the Patria agency. “I believe in our municipality, I believe that we will experience an economic revival in a few years.”

Since the beginning of her mandate, she has focused exclusively on the existential problems of her fellow citizens. 

“If you want to keep people, you have to address their concrete problems, not things that don't concern them. When I took over Jezero, people had a doctor in the local clinic two days a week. That's absurd. You can't choose when your child will get a fever. I requested that the clinic be open every day, and the Health Insurance Fund of Republika Srpska now pays for a doctor for the whole week,” says Ružičić.

“It's the same with student transportation. Children must have regular transportation to school. Some mayors might not think about these problems, but in Jezero, I had to start with these things.”

Everyone agrees that what helps the local community the most from the very beginning is that Ružičić spends municipal funds rationally and wisely. To reduce unnecessary public budget spending, she often travels alone on official trips, without an official driver. She also abolished some other benefits, which, she says, do not affect the quality of her work but burdened the budget.

“There are five female mayors in RS and one in FBiH. I know for sure that they are all successful in their jobs. This shows that a woman's hand can indeed manage some systems better,” says Ružičić with a laugh. 

The global trend is the development of small local communities; organically grown food from smaller plantations is increasingly valued, and it is also recognized that life in smaller environments with quality infrastructure can be much more interesting than life in large, crowded cities. This is one of the potentials that Ružičić hopes to commercialize. For example, she says, thousands of tourists from all over the world visit Pliva and Đol Lake annually. It is important to double this number, but also to educate the local population according to the highest tourism standards.

“I am trying to explain to people that it is important to love our municipality and what we have. Local patriotism is important. If we all get involved in making our community a comfortable place to live, it will be so,” says Ružičić, adding that her fellow citizens understand her more and more, which is a great support for her.

Jezero is a small community that cannot quickly leverage its exceptional natural potential on its own. Therefore, the local administration is now doing everything possible to create new jobs with the help of domestic and international projects. Just one large company that would open two or three hundred jobs would alleviate unemployment in this municipality and double the municipal budget. The municipal administration, led by Ružičić, is doing everything to make this happen as soon as possible. For example, this year, Jezero received its first Program to Assist in Internship for three young people, whose salaries will be financed by the Federal Ministry of Displaced Persons and Refugees, which should ultimately result in better local administration services. 
IFAD financed a road to Đol Lake worth 240,000 KM, which will improve tourism and agriculture in this part of the municipality.
They are also in negotiations for other projects. Jezero is awaiting funds from the Bulgarian embassy, which will be used to build children's playgrounds. Ružičić also sees an opportunity in cooperation with neighboring municipalities and joint applications for international projects. 

The promotional and tourist days Jezero 2017 were exceptional this year.

The local police station was recently transformed into the Jezero Police Station to maximize security in the municipality.

“Citizens must have complete services to feel comfortable,” says Ružičić.