Sillamäe seeks to remove councillor Vladimir Vysotsky from education committee

The chair of Sillamäe city council's education and culture committee, Alevtina Yermakova (Centre Party), has proposed removing fellow party member and councillor Vladimir Vysotsky from the committee, citing his absence from more than three consecutive meetings.

Under the city's regulations, if a committee member misses at least three consecutive meetings, the chair may propose their removal. Yermakova says Vysotsky was absent from four consecutive meetings out of seven and did not take part in discussions on matters including the relocation of Vanalinna School pupils to a building at Haridus Street 21, even though he had publicly commented on the issue.

Councillor's response

Vysotsky said he learned of the proposal from a Rus.ERR journalist, as the chair had not discussed it with him beforehand. He explained that he works in another town and teaches at a school, making it difficult to always adjust his schedule to committee meetings.

He disputes that missing meetings means he has not worked on the relevant issues. As an example, he cited the case of Vanalinna School pupils with special educational needs: after parents asked him to intervene, he corresponded with the school administration and says the original meal-arrangement plan was changed as a result.

Vysotsky said he would accept a removal decision calmly but believes attendance rules should apply equally to all councillors. He noted that in the previous council term, Yermakova herself missed 34 of 45 meetings of the same committee.

Deputy chair of the city council, Centre Party member Dmitri Lett, backed the chair's decision, saying attendance at only half of meetings is unacceptable. The change to the committee's composition is expected to be approved at the council's September session.

The Centre Party won 18 of 21 seats in Sillamäe's October elections; Vysotsky, who placed fourth with 177 votes, is not part of the Centre Party faction on the council.