Zakopane city council chairman Grzegorz Jóźkiewicz is facing mounting questions over whether he will honor his May 2024 pledge to step down midway through his term, with local officials reporting that no rotation talks are taking place. Modeled after the parliamentary arrangement used by Szymon Hołownia in the Sejm, the initial agreement was designed to bring a fresh political direction after a local coalition ousted Law and Justice (PiS) from power in the mountain resort town.
The Origins of the Rotational Council Leadership Pledge
Following the local government elections, a new majority formed in Zakopane to remove the PiS administration that previously governed beneath Giewont. To cement this alliance, local politicians looked to national politics in Warsaw for inspiration. They adopted the concept of a rotational council chairman, mirroring the arrangement where Szymon Hołownia agreed to step down halfway through his term as Marshal of the Sejm in favor of Włodzimierz Czarzasty—a promise Hołownia ultimately fulfilled.
Grzegorz Jóźkiewicz made his own pledge in May 2024, declaring that he was not attached to his seat and did not intend to hold the position for long. During the inaugural council session, he made the promise publicly not just to voters and colleagues, but also to his wife, Alicja. He explained at the time that while he considered running for mayor, his wife felt he would have too little time for his family, leading him to commit to resigning halfway through his tenure to spend more time with his loved ones.
Current Political Realities and Silence From the Chairman
With the halfway point of the term arriving at the end of October and the beginning of November, local leaders say the planned rotation has stalled completely. Wirtualna Polska reached out to both current vice-chairmen of the Zakopane city council, who confirmed that an orderly handover of power is no longer under discussion. Marek Donatowicz, a longtime councilman and teacher by profession, stated that the topic is not on the table and that not even preliminary talks are taking place. Zbigniew Szczerba offered an even sharper assessment of the situation.
According to Szczerba, the local coalition has effectively dissolved over the past two and a half years, and he now finds himself treated as a hostile figure by the mayor’s supporters, including Jóźkiewicz. Szczerba noted that if a change in leadership were genuinely planned, discussions would already be underway because such decisions do not happen within an hour. Meanwhile, council chairman Grzegorz Jóźkiewicz has been unreachable for comment, failing to answer over a dozen phone calls or respond to messages left at his office and via phone.
Did You Know? The rotational leadership model implemented in Zakopane was explicitly borrowed from the Polish Parliament on Wiejska Street, where Sejm leaders utilized a mid-term handoff of power.
Local Observers Weigh In on Power Dynamics in Zakopane
Insiders familiar with the inner workings of the Zakopane local government suggest that the chairman has grown accustomed to the prestige of his office and will not relinquish the role easily. One local official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described Jóźkiewicz as operating practically as a second mayor. The source observed that the chairman and Mayor Łukasz Filipowicz appear constantly side by side—appearing in every second municipal video, jointly signing contracts with municipal investment contractors, traveling together to Warsaw, and receiving official visitors.
Reasons behind the rotational council chairmanship model in Zakopane
Why did Zakopane adopt a rotational council chairmanship?
The city council adopted the model to replicate the success of the parliamentary coalition that removed PiS from power in the Sejm, offering a power-sharing arrangement among the allied political groups.
Who was supposed to succeed Grzegorz Jóźkiewicz?
Under the initial May 2024 agreement, one of the two council vice-chairmen—either Zbigniew Szczerba or Marek Donatowicz—was slated to take over the chairmanship after two and a half years.
What do the vice-chairmen say about the planned rotation now?
Both Marek Donatowicz and Zbigniew Szczerba state that no discussions regarding a leadership handover are taking place, with Szczerba adding that the original coalition has effectively ceased to exist.
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