November 17, 2020

Mayorless Magadan


Mayorless Magadan
Not a great place to be mayor, apparently. Johannes Rohr, Wikimedia Commons

Politics are crazy the world over. Not even Russia's Far East can escape.

While most localities offer tense races leading up to election day, not so in Magadan: no one applied to run for mayor this year, according to Radio Free Europe.

The consensus seems to be that potential candidates are daunted by the social, fiscal, and economic woes plaguing the region. Thus, no one wants what would probably be a stressful position that would require them to face the ire of a dissatisfied citizenry.

The current mayor, Yuri Grishan, seems to understand. "You need more than just a desire to be mayor to resolve [the region's problems]. And inviting someone from outside the region who doesn't know our city and our region? You'd have to be crazy to accept such an offer."

In the meantime, the city of 92,000 is pushing back its deadline to apply for the position, so if any of our readers are interested... there you go.

Meanwhile, other city governments in the area are finding inventive ways to sate their citizenry.

You Might Also Like

Magadan
  • July 01, 2019

Magadan

On July 14, 2019, Magadan will celebrate the 80th anniversary of its founding. Alas, this date, like so much else in the city’s history, is a lie.
Road of Bones to the Coldest Place in the World
  • March 01, 1997

Road of Bones to the Coldest Place in the World

For the past 28 years, Gary and Monica Westcott have been circling the globe as the Turtle Expedition. In the winter of 1996, they began a 16,000 mile drive across Russia, from Magadan in the East to Karelia in the West. Gary Westcott narrates this first installment in their amazing adventure.
Crossing Kolyma
  • November 01, 2011

Crossing Kolyma

It’s not your average traveler who chooses to traverse remote Kolyma through the depth of a Siberian winter. But then Mikael Strandberg is no average traveler.
The Big Kolyma Streetcar
  • March 01, 1998

The Big Kolyma Streetcar

A documentary account of the harrowing trials faced by women sent to Stalin's gulags.
Kolyma Gold
  • July 01, 2004

Kolyma Gold

Siberia’s gold is one of its greatest riches. But that wealth is buried in one of the least hospitable places on Earth.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955