Wroclaw mayor Rafal Dutkiewicz has topped an annual ranking held by the Polish edition of Newsweek.

Newsweek’s third such ranking took into account 107 mayors from Poland’s cities and larger towns, excluding Warsaw, as the weekly’s editors believe that Poland’s capital should compete on a regional level with Prague, Bratislava, Vienna, and Budapest.

Wroclaw mayor Rafal Dutkiewicz told the weekly that “I am doing my duty, [having been] chosen by residents,” adding that “we have started a civilisational process in Wroclaw, but we’re just at the beginning.”

In the ranking, Newsweek concentrated on economic factors, such as budget income, success in bringing in EU funds, investor relations and public investments.

Other factors taken into account include how mayors tackle social problems, and how investment is set aside for sport, culture, education, and recreation. (jb)

The first five city mayors to head this year’s ranking:

1. Rafal Dutkiewicz - Wroclaw
2. Ryszard Grobelny - Poznan
3. Janusz Chodorowski - Mielec
4. Tadeusz Truskolaski - Bialystok
5. Jacek Karnowski - Sopot