Penza, 19 February 2014. PenzaNews. The minister of public relations and mass communications of the Penza region Alexei Ilika, who has worked in the office less than a year, made a decision to vacate the position from Thursday, February 20. According to him, he has to leave Penza for family reasons. “This decision was difficult, it is not easy leaving the city where one lived and worked for so long,” Alexei Ilika commented on his resignation.

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He noted that in comparison with many other Russian cities Penza takes advantageous position.

“I have repeatedly said when being asked about my impressions of Penza, that this city is optimal for life. There is no bustle of the capital, no aggression, but infrastructure is well-developed. I would even praised the road system, though Penza residents disapprove of its quality. All this year I drove myself seldom using office transport, so I have an opportunity to compare. Penza is unlike some other cities, where one has to choose the smaller of two pit on the road surface,” the minister said.

Alexei Ilika, who moved to Penza from Novosibirsk, added that at first many things surprised him in the city.

“I remember the first time I went to the library named after M. Lermontov. I used the navigator. It seemed that I came to the right place, but where was the library? I saw a beautiful building, probably a bank, I thought. And just as I looked up, I realized that was it... And this applies to many things here. Just take a look at the new Philharmonic and the concert hall — not every city can boast of such things,” he stressed.

According to the minister, for the past year he “had a chance to experience the system of state power himself.”

“I met people who do not fall into the stereotypes of Russian officials. I was fortunate to work with active leaders, who do not care about some formal piece of paper, but they work for the result. Working with such officials was real pleasure. Moreover, it was a good school. One cannot learn about this from a textbook... Leaving Penza, I do not want to bid “farewell,” because it is the city where one want to come back again...” Alexei Ilika wrote in his blog on Wednesday, February 19.