TRI RISMAHARINI NAMED ONE OF THE WORLD'S BEST MAYORS

Surabaya, E Java, Feb 3 (Antara) - Mayor of Surabaya Tri Rismaharini bagged the second runner-up prize in the Top 10 Mayors of World 2014. "This moment can boost the confidence of Surabaya's residents that we can compete with other world's cities," Head of the Cooperation Department of Surabaya Administration Ifron Hady Susanto stated here on Tuesday. Tri Rismaharini ranked third after Naheed Nenshi of Calgary, Canada, and Daniel Termont of Ghent, Belgium. She stood third, surpassing other mayors of cities across the world such as Carloz Ocariz of Sucre, Venezuela; Jed Patrick Mabilog of Iloilo City, the Philippines; Albrecht Schroter of Jena, Germany; and Annise Parker of Houston, the United States. Susanto stated that the achievement will be beneficial for a city, especially Surabaya, to face the ASEAN Economic Community that will come into effect on December 31, 2015. In the official website of the World Mayor, www.worldmayor.com, Tri Rismaharini was awarded the second runner-up position for her services to the city of Surabaya. After Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo was sworn in as Indonesia's president, Mayor Rismaharini has become the most talked about city leader in the country. "She has attracted national and international attention by energetically promoting her social, economic, and environmental policies in Indonesia's second-largest city," quoted the World Mayor. Mayor Rismaharini was elected in 2010. Her policy has focused on making the most of empty lands and open spaces. Under Rismaharini's term, there are now eleven major parks in Surabaya, all with different themes, and equipped with Wi-Fi access, libraries, fitness, and other sports facilities. The second-largest city in Indonesia has also extended other open spaces such as cemeteries, so that they can serve as water absorption areas. Rismaharini is considered to be a mayor who often speaks of the need to govern not only for the people but also with the people, as she believes that massive development can alienate the people. Soon after joining office, Rismaharini converted brothels in some areas of the city into kindergartens and transformed abandoned petrol stations into children's playgrounds. The World Mayor Project was launched in January 2004 by the urban affairs research institute "City Mayors Foundation" to raise the profile of mayors worldwide and to honor those who have served their communities well and who have contributed to the well-being of cities, both nationally and internationally. In 2012, the project had awarded a second-runner up prize to another Indonesian city mayor Joko Widodo for his services while he was the mayor of Surakarta, Central Java Province.