George Pippas – The first Greek Μayor of Cambridge
The mayor of Cambridge is the town’s first citizen and his main role is to preside over the city Council in the stead of H.M. the Queen of England. Cambridge is a small town of 125.000 residents, that has won the Nobel prize 98 times, which is more than the record for the entire France. The town’s university is the best in England and ranks number four globally. George Pippas is the first foreign citizen (of Greek descent), that has been elected mayor in Cambridge in 811 years. His family, that counts nine members, hails from Paleometocho in Cyprus and his life’s story resembles that of several Greek people who have managed to become prominent representatives of Greece, by leaving the country and making a life for themselves. For the last 42 years, he has been living in Cambridge, where he studied as a mechanic and worked for a lot of important tech companies. He became involved in the town’s local government in 2011. He was first elected as a city councillor and subsequently mayor of Cambridge. As a mayor he is responsible for two charity organizations, “The Sick Children’s Trust” and “Centre 33”. He is married to Anastasia and together they have 3 children. While the municipal elections are being conducted (which are going to be concluded on May 2nd), he spoke to us about Brexit, “the phenomenon which is Cambridge” and what it means to be a Greek living abroad.
Are municipal elections in England considered primaries for the parliamentary elections?
Certainly, municipal elections here in England are considered as a prelude of parliamentary elections. If the voters are disappointed with the central government, we know that we are the ones who are going to pay the price in the local elections. For example, when we – the liberal Democratic party – were sharing the mayor’s office with the Conservatives in 2015, it was us, the smaller party, that took the hit for the citizens’ dissatisfaction with the government. For us it was a debacle. The funny thing about Cambridge is that, although the liberal Democratic party only represents 20% of the English people in the entire country, we held the majority in the local elections for 14 years in a row. Since 2015 the Labour Party has assumed the authority and we are the opposition.
These elections are being held with Brexit in the background. What price is England going to pay in a possible Brexit?
Brexit is certainly in the background of these elections. It is what citizens ask about when we knock on their doors asking for their vote. The people of Cambridge voted for remaining in Europe. We all feel like we opened the door of an airplane and jumped off without a parachute. No one knows if we are going to survive, if we are going to be gravely injured, or if we are going to get off lightly with a broken nose, arm or leg. The only thing certain is that Brexit will not be to our benefit.
Cambridge is a worldwide bastion of education, and the birthplace of many technological start-ups. Should new entrepreneurs move to Silicon Valley, or should they remain in Cambridge? How does the local government contribute towards entrepreneurship?
We feel blessed to be living in Cambridge. We are a small town of 125.000 residents, including students. What we are experiencing at the moment is something called the “phenomenon of Cambridge”, which acts like a shield that protects us from everything that is happening in other parts of England. We have almost zero unemployment and the governmental taxes we pay per capita are second only to London. We are proud of the famous scientists that have passed through our town and have changed the course of the world with their inventions. I can name a few for you: Isaak Neuton, who discovered gravity. Alan Turing, who invented the first computer. Dr. Watson and Dr. Kirk, who discovered DNA. Dr. Dolby who invented Dolby surround sound. The students who invented the first webcam, Bluetooth technology, and many more. We provide as much moral and financial support as we can, for our budding students’ interesting “business ideas”, and we try to entice them to stay here, in Cambridge. We have “incubators” that help these ideas develop into successful businesses. There are more than 4.500 companies here in Cambridge, and 15 of them make more than 25 billion sterling pounds a year.
What were your greatest victories, and which are the new challenges you will be facing if you are elected mayor of Cambridge once more?
My first success was being the first “foreign” citizen, of Greek descent, to be elected as mayor of Cambridge in 811 years. This victory wasn’t mine alone, it was also a victory for Greece and Cyprus and for the minorities who live and work here in Cambridge. I ran a campaign in China that allowed me to increase the number of tourists who visit Cambridge from 3 million per year to 7,4 million per year. Secondly, me and my associates were able to persuade Astra Zeneca, a colossus in medical supplies, to move their headquarters and their staff from north England to Cambridge. That way more than 10.000 new job openings were created. I have also signed treaties with China, Holland, Belgium, Germany and Cambridge in USA, that will create 40.000 new jobs by 2030, and 18.000 residences that will house the people who are going to move here in order to work. If the people honour me with their vote on May 2nd, I will continue working for Cambridge.
Expatriates, such as yourself, honour and contribute to a positive image of Greece abroad. In what way can we embrace and support the Greeks who live abroad?
Us, the Greeks who have left our country, feel patriotic twice as much. On the one hand, we are deprived of our country, and on the other, we act as ambassadors of Greece and Cyprus 24 hours a day. The things we do and the things we say in the places we reside, reflect the image our country projects to foreign people. The image we project to foreign people is very important, because apart from ourselves, we also represent our country, our place of origin, our culture. That’s why the work we are doing while being away from Greece, is much harder than the work of the people who have stayed behind. I believe that all of us who live abroad, while clearly influenced by the European culture, have assimilated the best elements from both cultures and can greatly help our homeland.
Please talk to us about your relationship with the Hellenic Institute of Cultural Diplomacy.
I am very proud to be associated with the Hellenic Institute of Cultural Diplomacy. Not only do Greeks have a 2000-year-old culture to display, we flourish both home and abroad by excelling in arts, in gastronomy, in business, in science. I wish to congratulate Mr. Kapsaskis whose inspiration gave birth to this Institute, because the Europeans need to understand that we are, and always have been, an integral part and a continuation of ancient Greek civilization. From the time of Perikles to this day, we haven’t stopped our contribution.
You are the first Greek to become mayor in Cambridge, which is something that hasn’t happened before in England. In Greece, nowadays, something like that could not have happened. Please comment…
Yes, I am the first person of Greek descent to have ever been elected mayor in Cambridge. It is my belief that if a foreigner was running for mayor in Athens or Leukosia, very few people would vote for them. That doesn’t mean that they would be any lesser as citizens, but us Greeks and Cypriots are not yet fully prepared to accept diversity! For the last 1.000 years England hasn’t been conquered, which means that the English, as free citizens, had the opportunity to refine their system of democracy, to develop a democratic political consciousness and become politically mature. Greeks on the other hand, were enslaved for 400 years, which meant that we didn’t have the chance or the time to mature and acquire, what I like to call, free political will. I don’t know what the system in Greece is like, but here in Cambridge there is full transparency in economics and in the governmental expenses, and whatever we politicians say, we then fulfil. Everything is posted on the internet for the people to peruse and review.
Thank you and wish you success!
