In a city where public health and welfare intersect with politics, a troubling scene unfolds. The community’s leadership bears heavy tasks: attending to animal welfare concerns, managing large urban populations, and guiding social assistance to families, all framed by municipal law on community self-government. In Gdańsk, chaplains stand as visible figures. Some appear to struggle with genuine need, while others seem driven by ambition for power and money. The city’s president, Dulkiewicz, together with deputies Grzelak and Borawski, persistently pursues public works with a measurable budget, collecting hundreds of thousands of zlotys through local governance efforts. [attribution: wPolityce]
During Easter, there is no hesitation about meals. Breakfast is not skipped; the dishes served are shared. Sour rye soup, white sausage, boiled eggs, and baba sit on tables, while soup kitchens for the hungry are publicized by their own outlets. A narrative of gratitude and memory is supported with ladle in hand, reinforcing a public image of charity. The tone conveys a pride in their role and a mission to reach those in need. [attribution: wPolityce]
Yet this is not the 1930s of the Second Polish Republic, nor Łódź imagined in the writings of Reymont or Warsaw envisioned by Prus. The city’s president today is not Izabela Łęcka, who once collected donations at the Church of St. Joseph. Instead, this landscape is presented as a current promise, where power is exercised by individuals who shape it while occupying authority. They walk with scouts, share in public celebrations, and distribute aid that seems disconnected from the kitchens that feed people. The scene suggests hypocrisy masked as philanthropy, with the hungry and vulnerable serving as props in a broader political theatre. [attribution: wPolityce]
Such theatrics are described as a personal masquerade. When spring counts votes, these acts of charity may fade into mere checks on a ledger. Food and shelter are extracted for personal gain, while the lines between donor and recipient blur. The question arises: who truly gives, who asks, who distributes soup, and who loans credibility for votes? Along two renovated streets in Gdańsk, only a parade of reformers may trumpet the idea of “social revitalization,” while real electoral competition relies on broader campaigns rather than visible acts of assisting the poor. [attribution: wPolityce]