The city is for people, not for show.
Manifesto of the Tallinn Residents’ Electoral Union
Tallinn City Council Elections — October 19, 2025
Olga Ivanova
Lasnamäe
Anna Šendik
Haabersti
Julia Sommer
Põhja-Tallinn
Irina Kile
Lasnamäe
Tallinn is not a showcase for tourists or a PR project for those in power. It is a city where every resident has the right to affordable healthcare, access to kindergartens, safe streets, and respectful treatment. Today, the city spends hundreds of millions of euros every year, yet instead of solving real problems, the priority is given to the “beautiful” rather than the “necessary.” We are entering the elections to change this system — to make the budget transparent, spending justified, and decisions accountable to the interests of the residents.
Program — Key Directions
The city budget must first cover the essential needs:
• healthcare;
• kindergartens;
• infrastructure and safety;
• social support;
• affordable housing.
What is wrong today:
• Millions spent on “visual improvements,” while there is a shortage of doctors, long waiting times for specialists, and expensive examinations.
• Healthcare is in decline — waiting times for specialists are 2–3 months.
• Kindergartens replaced with compensations — “no places available, take the money and solve it yourself.”
• Pensioners and low-income residents are not among the priorities.
What we will change:
• A clear principle: necessary first, beautiful later.
• A program to restore polyclinics and support doctors.
• A development plan for building new kindergartens and abandoning the replacement of places with compensations.
• An electronic register of all expenses, open to citizens in an understandable format.
Today’s public procurement system is non-transparent, complicated, and closed off from residents.
What is wrong:
• Residents do not know what their tax money is actually spent on.
• The same companies often win tenders, yet quality does not improve.
• There is no feedback or evaluation of results.
What we will do:
• A public online register of procurements with a district map, amount, contractor, and explanations.
• Mandatory explanations for every major tender: what for, by whom, at what cost, and how the result will be evaluated.
• Audit of suspicious contracts and publication of results.
• Shifting spending priorities to district-level referendums on key investment projects, so residents have a real chance to influence financial decisions.
Demography is not statistics, but the future of the city.
What is wrong:
• Child benefits are lower than the minimum subsistence level.
• Shortage of places in nurseries and kindergartens.
• Support programs for hobby groups are formal and do not cover actual costs.
• Large families are often viewed as a “burden” on the budget.
What we will do:
• A guaranteed kindergarten place near home.
• Real programs to ensure access to hobby groups and sports clubs for all children.
• Expansion of the family card to cover transport, meals, housing, and services.
• City housing loan guarantees for large families.
Power must respect every resident and must not judge them by income or origin.
What is wrong:
• People are shamed for poverty, and blame is shifted onto them.
• Inquiries are ignored, and uncomfortable questions are ridiculed.
• There is no personal accountability for words and decisions.
What we will do:
• Public ethics and personal responsibility for officials.
• Direct and clear communication between residents and district administrations or departments.
• Timely and understandable responses to inquiries.
Streets must be safe and predictable for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.
What we will do:
• Clear rules: scooters = bicycles, mandatory to dismount when crossing at pedestrian crosswalks.
• Stricter accountability for violations on bicycle lanes.
• Clear road markings, logical infrastructure, and enforcement of violations.
In Tallinn, 200,000 people speak Russian, yet their voice is not heard.
What we will do:
• Access to services in an understandable language in all district administrations and key structures.
• Multilingual websites with complete and timely information.
• Participation in city discussions regardless of language.
The city’s official channels must inform, not promote those in power.
What we will do:
• The main purpose of the portals will be to assist residents, not self-promotion.
• News and announcements — simultaneously and fully in Estonian, Russian, and English.
• Special information blocks for parents, pensioners, youth, and non-native speakers.
• Lasteaia kohti puudub aastadatud kompensatsioonidega “Õhtade seened”.
• Hankeprotessist puudub läbipaistvus ja tagasiside.
• Poliitilisude taastamine, uute lasteaedade rajamise kaart.
• Veebipõhine avalik hankeregister ja kohalikud küsitlused.
Candidates
Olga Ivanova
Lasnamäe
“I am a politician and public figure, but above all, a mother of a wonderful son. It is he who reminds me every day why we must build a strong and caring society.”
Anna Šendik
Haabersti
“I am here to speak the truth, ask the tough questions, and clean up the mess.”
Julia Sommer
Põhja-Tallinn
“I believe in honest dialogue, concrete solutions, and accountability to the people. My goal in the Union is to use my experience, knowledge, and energy to transform our city and country into a place where everyone wants to live.”
Irina Kile
Lasnamäe
“I am not a politician. I am a man of the people. I know this city because I live here. I know its problems because I deal with them every day — on the bus, at home, and in life. And I am ready to fight so that all of us can live more easily, safely, and peacefully.”
We are not entering politics for positions or promises. We are entering because we live in this city and see how it has stopped working for the people. We are residents, parents, taxpayers. We are ready to restore budget transparency, put people first, and bring respect to everyone.