Chapter 1678: Chapter 1678
Xiao Chenlei personally brewed a cup of tea and placed it in front of Sun Jiajun.
"Mayor Sun hasn’t visited the park yet, has he?"
"The work schedule is rather full, haven’t found the time."
Sun Jiajun had just returned from Pinghai and his thoughts were entirely focused on the entrepreneurs preparing to settle in Jiangzhou, leaving no time for inspections.
Xiao Chenlei said, "Let me briefly tell Mayor Sun about the situation in our park."
"Go ahead."
"This park was initiated by the former City Secretary, who communicated with the provincial government and gained its support to lead the establishment..."
Parks like this, or high-tech development zones in various cities, are typically driven by a single leader.
The establishment of such parks is a conspicuous political achievement for individual officials.
Outsiders only see these leaders as capable, but Sun Jiajun knows well that the City Secretary who spearheaded the establishment of Jiangzhou Industrial Park had an extraordinary background.
Moreover, that person facilitated the creation of Jiangzhou’s first industrial park—a significant achievement—and is likely at least at the ministerial level now.
Xiao Chenlei briefly explained the park’s background and then sighed, "The pollution issue in the park has existed for a long time and has never been resolved."
Sun Jiajun frowned, "How long has the pollution issue been going on?"
Xiao Chenlei said, "It’s been about ten years now."
"Ten years?" Sun Jiajun asked, "In these ten years, no leader has paid attention?"
Xiao Chenlei smiled wryly, "It doesn’t matter if leaders pay attention. At best, they negotiate with the enterprises and have them discharge wastewater and toxic gas according to regulations, and the enterprises cooperate by rectifying for a while. Once the spotlight fades, they revert back."
The pollution issue of industrial parks exists in every city and is challenging to completely rectify.
Even if the leaders below remain enthusiastic and risk cutting short their political careers to appeal to the citizens, the senior leaders won’t agree.
For any city, industrial parks are absolutely the economic pillars and also provide substantial employment.
If you suppress the industrial park, the city’s economy is bound to be affected, and worker employment will face issues.
What leader would dare to take this responsibility?
But if neglected, pollution persists and worsens, making life unbearable for the nearby residents.
Sun Jiajun quickly identified the critical points in his mind and felt a sense of difficulty.
Balancing between enterprises and residents is of utmost importance.
"What about Mayor Chang?" He asked.
Xiao Chenlei shook his head and sneered, "Mayor Chang is a very busy man; I’m just a Vice Mayor, he can’t possibly report to me all the time."
The relationship between these two wasn’t good; Sun Jiajun noted this and pondered for a moment before grabbing his phone to call Chang Hai.
He already had a rough idea of how to handle this situation.
First, understand the specific situation, then promise the residents a thorough investigation of the enterprises, and finally find a scapegoat to take the fall.
In the meantime, have the park enterprises cooperate, and once the fervor dies down, things revert back.
Since previous leaders have managed it this way, there should be no problem following the same approach.
"Mayor Sun." The call connected, and Chang Hai’s seasoned and calm voice came through.
"Mayor Chang, are you busy?" Sun Jiajun asked with a smile.
Though Chang Hai was the Deputy Mayor, the area he managed was quite important, holding certain powers.
Sun Jiajun, despite being the Deputy Mayor, lacked experience.
Being a leader, especially being at the top, without holding certain authority, one should avoid being too arrogant.
Being arrogant without power usually leads to subordinates feigning compliance while actually disregarding your directives.
Once faced with insubordination or direct neglect, it’s nearly impossible to establish authority later.
"At a meeting outside, Mayor Sun, is there something you need?" Chang Hai showed some courtesy, by at least offering some explanation.
Sun Jiajun said, "I heard there are resident complaints about pollution issues in the High-tech Zone’s industrial park?"
Chang Hai paused for a few seconds and said, "Did Xiao Chenlei tell you?"
Sun Jiajun felt a bit awkward, he didn’t expect Chang Hai to reveal it so straightforwardly, leaving him at a loss for words.
"There is indeed a pollution issue in the park, and there have been quite a few complaints. I am currently inside the park discussing with the enterprises. Mayor Sun, if you want to understand the situation better, you can come over and give me some guidance."
"I think the issue seems quite serious and I happen to be in the High-tech Zone too, so I’ll come over to take a look."
After hanging up the call, Sun Jiajun stood up, "Mr. Xiao, let’s head to the park."
The industrial park is twenty kilometers north of the High-tech Zone, and if viewed from a high point, one can see stretches of chemical enterprises spanning over ten kilometers.
White smoke rises from thick chimneys into the sky. While it looks processed, just taking a breath gives off a pungent odor.
Sun Jiajun frowned; he was still kilometers away from the park but could already smell it. The concentration was indeed quite high.
As they approached the park, Chang Hai called and sent an address, directing them to arrive directly.
Chang Hai’s tone was very calm, neither good nor bad, but certainly not humble, which quite displeased Sun Jiajun.
After all, he is the Deputy Mayor, shouldn’t he come out to greet him when visiting his domain?
"Mayor, we’re here." Secretary Ma Hongyuan parked the car.
The three of them got out of the car and walked towards a huge office complex six stories high and over two hundred meters across.
Xiao Chenlei was quite familiar with this place; he led the way in front, and after about ten minutes, they arrived outside a meeting room.
This was a small meeting room, with only a few people present—only Chang Hai from the City Government, and four or five people, likely the company heads.
Knock knock.
Xiao Chenlei knocked on the door, attracting attention from inside the meeting room.
Chang Hai placed down the insulated cup in his hand and stood up to approach them.
At 51, Chang Hai wasn’t considered old in political circles.
He stood at about 1.65 meters tall, with a slender build, completely white hair, slightly dark skin, and deep nasolabial folds, making him appear much older than he was, like a rural old man.
But his gaze was incredibly sharp, and his small stature exuded a powerful presence that made one unconsciously straighten their back—a clear indication of a difficult personality.
"Mayor Sun." Chang Hai nodded slightly, "Come in and have a seat."
Sun Jiajun instinctively avoided his gaze; when Chang Hai turned to walk inside, he felt slightly angry, believing that Chang Hai was deliberately trying to undermine him!
The entrepreneurs present hadn’t met Sun Jiajun before, but hearing Chang Hai’s address, they realized he was also a mayor.
Once seated, Chang Hai introduced, "This is Mayor Sun Jiajun, our Deputy Mayor of Jiangzhou."
As for Xiao Chenlei, no introduction was needed; everyone present knew him.
Upon realizing they were facing the second-in-command of the City Government, the entrepreneurs’ expressions grew slightly more serious, adding pressure to their thoughts.
