Penza, 22 December 2014. PenzaNews. Yuri Krivov, head of Penza administration, took the 55th place in the rating of regional capitals of the Russian Federation.

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The specialists of information communications center “Rating” accessed the open sources and insider information, as well as considered the views of regional and federal experts.

The bulk of information on most regions was collected in late November—mid December 2014.

Commenting on the rating, Valentin Manuylov, political scientist, director of the Regional Policy Institute, the chief editor of “Park Belinskogo” magazine drew attention to the fact that Yuri Krivov, who entered the office in July 2014, “is in a situation when the citizens and elite are expecting some actions and at the same time give no negative evaluation so far.”

“He gives the impression of a patient man who is willing to work with the same team. At the same time there are certain conflicts brewing, of course, at least due to the rise of the crisis, which will certainly exacerbate existing contradictions. I think that the main problem now will be linked to the fact that the budget has no funds to cover debts accumulated in years, even before Yuri Krivov. Because of that, he is trying to somehow respond to the situation in order to gain credibility and to reason with the people trying to influence him ‘out of the shadows’,” he said.

Valentin Manuylov added that Penza city management style changed in 2014.

“This difference is understandable: Roman Chernov [former head of Penza administration who left the post in June 2014] comes from state security – he served as border guard. By nature, he was quite a friendly person, but as a leader he was somewhat aggressive. In addition, behind him there was not only the governor, but also certain political and financial pressure groups. Yuri Ivanovich [Krivov] has PhD in Pedagogics, originally comes from the university environment. He is used to being attentive to the interlocutor, explaining his position thoroughly, proving, if necessary, persuading… There is only the governor behind him,” the analyst said.

He specified that the direct opposition of two figures – former mayor of Penza Roman Chernov and the current head of the city administration Yury Krivov – is not observed yet.

“However, during Roman Chernov’s term a lot has been done […] and Yuri Krivov is only at the beginning. In addition, both are appointees of the same person – the governor, so originally no radical change was expected,” the information communications center quotes Valentin Manuylov.