February 27, 2022 - Young Hvar locals have expressed their dissatisfaction with the new Vrboska bridge and their 'headstrong' mayor, prompting a response from mayor Nikša Peronja.

Vrboska, a picturesque village within the Jelsa Municipality, located in a deep bay in the northern part of Hvar island, is in the spotlight after the local youth, dissatisfied with the appearance of the new bridge, told the public that they had enough of their headstrong mayor.

Reader

"The dissatisfaction of the people of Vrboska has been going on for some time; it is not from yesterday. This bridge is just a drop in the bucket," a 63-year-old resident said for Morksi.hr, noting that he would be happy to share the whole story, but it would then take us hours of conversation, and he doubts that the media coverage of all the real problems facing the people of Vrboska would change anything.

"Vrboska does not need a road bridge at all. It is in the shape of a horseshoe, and the road was built in the 1960s and leans on that horseshoe. So this bridge could easily have been the most common wooden pedestrian bridge, and not a bridge for road traffic," the local adds. 

Reader

Morski learned that the price of the concrete bridge jumped from the original 1.8 to more than 4 million kuna. The bridge is almost a meter higher than the original project, selected by a seven-member jury five years ago, including SDP Jelsa mayor Nikša Peronja, who addressed the dissatisfied residents last week on his Facebook profile.

"The bridge will be completed approximately two weeks before Easter, and we have coordinated this with the contractor, designers, and all other participants in the project. I know that various stories and theories have appeared in Vrboska; most are completely unfounded and have no basis in reality. You must understand that it is the worst for me because I have objections, not the designer who had to change the project several times. We had a problem with mud at the bottom and even a problem with wells that did not show the correct condition of the soil. We encountered a whole series of problems, and the construction of the bridge took some time," said Peronja.

According to the mayor, the old bridge was statically defective and thus unsafe to use, so it was out of order. However, he is convinced that the locals of Vrboska will be satisfied in the end.

Reader

The locals of Vrboska say the municipality makes good money - both from the sale of land and from utilities. But some of them claim that little is being invested in this settlement with about 500 permanent residents who would like to get, for example, public transport and bus stops. In addition, the residents of Vrboska would like to get a new cemetery with a morgue, and the mayor promises that this wish will soon be fulfilled.

"You have to understand that when I came, there was almost nothing, we started from the beginning - we made changes and amendments to the Urban Plan, we bought land for the construction of the cemetery and morgue, we made all the necessary documentation and obtained a building permit. The paving of the cemetery remains, which will begin in about 15 days. And that should also be over by Easter," the mayor of Jelsa promised to Vrboska.

As for the morgue, it should also be completed by the end of this year, according to the mayor.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

Real title which was too long anyway so do what you want with it: Slobodna Dalmacija reveals: Peronja appointed his colleague from SDP as the head of the utility company because he's ''got a vision'', the mayor of this Dalmatian municipality is now under investigation due to a conflict of interest

November the 23rd, 2021 - The Commission for Deciding on Conflicts of Interest has initiated proceedings against official Niksa Peronja (SDP), the mayor of Jelsa, for possible violations of the Law on the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest.

As Slobodna Dalmacija/Mirko Crncevic reports, this has come to be the case because allegedly, Niksa Peronja, as the only member of the Assembly of the utility company "Jelkom", appointed the acting director of the public company on March the 18th and again on November the 12th, 2020, and on November the 30th last year, he also appointed Ruzica Viskovic (SDP) as the "permanent" head of the company, all without the prior proposal of the Municipal Council. This was also done on the eve of the local elections held in late May this year. It's worth noting that Slobodna Dalmacija wrote about Niksa Peronja having made this questionable move back on February the 10th, and Sandra Barcot was the author of the text.

The aforementioned publication contacted Mayor Niksa Peronja to tey to find out his view of the new "continuation" of this story, but he only briefly said that this was "just the initiation of proceedings and that he couldn't comment further on it,"

''I'll make a comment as soon as the Commission makes its final decision, and since several proceedings before this state body have already turned out in my favour, I believe that it will be the same situation with this one,'' Peronja stated.

Since in the Municipal Official Gazette his decision was, among other things, explained by the wording that "it is a person [who was appointed to the aformentioned position] with a vision that coincides with the vision of the members of Jelkom,'' Niksa Peronja then answered the question about the context of the appointment of Ruzica Viskovic, instead of the previous director Toni Damjanic. He stated the following:

''When it comes to the new director of "Jelkom", she's an excellent lawyer, with more work experience, who, except in the classic law firm with a bar exam, has worked for a high position in the legal department of "Suncani Hvar" for the last two years. She's a very capable and proven member of staff, so I'm convinced that she's going to greatly improve the services of waste collection, campsites and all other activities that Jelkom in engaged in,''

Peronja also added that he was "convinced that she would achieve better communication with the population than how things were before, because utility companies exist to serve their residents, and not the other way around.'' Niksa Peronja also said that "former director Damjanic had been in that position for almost a decade and that after such a period, it was necessary to refresh and improve overall functionality and compliance, which the external, independent audit of the company's business suggested."

''Ruzica Viskovic was directly appointed to the position of director, in accordance with all legal provisions and possibilities. The previous director, Damjanic, had been appointed in the same way for the last two years. A number of directors were also appointed in all other towns across the island of Hvar in various utility companies, as well as most directors of utility companies throughout Croatia, and a report was submitted to the Municipal Council, which adopted it,'' Niksa Peronja concluded when discussing this move.

****

Not the biggest problem in the world of public service in Croatia for sure, but one which caught my attention and took me back a few years to the unpleasant summer of 2018 in Jelsa. 

It was something of a surprise to attend a public meeeting, only to record the speaker on camera announcing that he was suing me. It was the first time in my life that someone had declared that they were suing me. More than three years later, I await the lawsuit. 

The reasons for the lawsuit were apparently something to do with my reporting on a procedure that was a little controversial surrounding a tender for the use of the Gradska Kavana commercial space that lay behind Jelsa's iconic bench. Ironically, it was probably the most researched article I have ever written on TCN. 

(Photo credit Vivian Grisogono)

Things got so unpleasant that I wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who was gracious enough to call me over for a chat and told me not to worry, promising he would never sue me. He never has.

We will watch proceedings with interest and wonder if the scope of the investigation will take a closer look at other issues, tenders and appointments should the commission uphold the complaint of conflict of interest.  

November 14, 2021 - Alleged irregularities in the selection of the new director of the public utility company have prompted the proceedings against the Mayor of Jelsa, Niksa Peronja.  

As Hvarski.net/Vedran Moran writes, at the 148th session of the Commission for Deciding on Conflict of Interest held on Wednesday, November the 10th, as local portal Hvarski has learned, proceedings were initiated against official Jelsa Mayor Niksa Peronja.

The Commission is charging him with the possible violation of Article 15, paragraph 2 of the Act on the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest, meaning that as the only member of the General Assembly of Jelkom d.o.o. (trading company), on March the 18th, 2020 and November the 12th, 2020, he appointed an acting member of the Management Board - the director of that same company - and that on November the 30th, 2020, he appointed members of the Management Board - the female director of the company - all without a prior proposal from the Municipal Council of Jelsa.

Hvarski.net learned the above from the spokesperson of the Commission, Martina Jurisic, dipl.iur.

Not the biggest problem in the world of public service in Croatia for sure, but one which caught my attention and took me back a few years to the unpleasant summer of 2018 in Jelsa. 

It was something of a surprise to attend a public meeeting, only to record the speaker on camera announcing that he was suing me. It was the first time in my life that someone had declared that they were suing me. More than three years later, I await the lawsuit. 

The reasons for the lawsuit were apparently something to do with my reporting on a procedure that was a little controversial surrounding a tender for the use of the Gradska Kavana commercial space that lay behind Jelsa's iconic bench. Ironically, it was probably the most researched article I have ever written on TCN. 

(Photo credit Vivian Grisogono)

Things got so unpleasant that I wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who was gracious enough to call me over for a chat and told me not to worry, promising he would never sue me. He never has.

We will watch proceedings with interest and wonder if the scope of the investigation will take a closer look at other issues, tenders and appointments should the commission uphold the complaint of conflict of interest.  

2. kolovoza 2018. godine – Načelnik Jelse Nikša Peronja održao je prije dva dana javnu tribinu u Vrboskoj, s dvije točke dnevnog reda – obavijesti o dovršenim projektima i dodatne informacije o budućnosti otočića Zečeva.

August 2, 2018 - Mayor of Jelsa Niksa Peronja held a public meeting in Vrboska two days ago, with two topics on the agenda - an update on projects completed and more information on the future of the islet of Zecevo.

In an hour long interview of the Jadran TV, the Mayor of Jelsa, Nikša Peronja speaks about his 3 years on the job.

A wonderful initiative from Eco Hvar to raise awareness about the effects of pesticides on our health - a statement signed by both the President of Eco Hvar Vivian Grisogono and the Jelsa Mayor Nikša Peronja on Monday, April 11. 2016.

According to the announcement of the Jelsa Mayor Nikša Peronja published at the Žveljarin FB page, from the period of April 7 until April 18, 2016, the Pitve-Zavala Tunnel will be closed due to much needed maintenance works.