The new mayor s team in Dobrich City Municipality continued the practice of the previous two mandates : weekly scheduled reception days of the mayor and his deputies within the municipal building . The reception is performed after preliminary registration in the Customers Service Center at Complaints , Recommendations desk . The duration of the reception and the number of people to be received are rather limited .

After the local elections took place in 2003 it is understandable that the number of people citizens and company managers - willing to meet the newly - elected mayor has increased . After taking an analysis of the receptions performed so far, the problems discussed and the interest of citizens and business representatives, the mayor Detelina Nikolova decided to perform external reception meetings on the territory of the city .

In February 2004 the first external reception day was carried out by the mayor D . Nikolova , jointly with the deputy mayor on economic development and Euro - integration G . Miteva . It was held in the industrial zone of the city , on the territory of a large ex - plant , where currently 22 private companies of different production activities and specific problems are located .

The purpose of the Reception place was to establish direct contact with company managers and their officers , exchange of information and ideas . It was preliminarily announced that in the district a reception meeting would be carried out first part of it with company managers , and the second one with citizens employees in the respective companies .

Managers and representatives of 15 companies were introduced to the economic programme of the municipality , to the projects , which were submitted in the beginning of the new mayor s mandate , as well as projects in the process of development . The company managers shared opinion that the information was extremely important and mentioned problems , which could not be solved without support provided by the municipality and jointly with the business representatives problems related to infrastructure, public works, public utilities on the territory of their offices .

The second part of the reception meeting was purposed for citizens working in the same district, and discussions on personal and public issues took place . The problems were registered , necessary verifications were carried out and timely replies provided . The ideas and recommendations by citizens were openly accepted and analyzed in respect of possibility for implementation and expected effectiveness .

The beginning of the front reception meeting with citizens and business representatives could be interpreted also like the continuation of pre - election meetings , which is usually rarely performed ( after the elections took place ) . Still it is a desired form of communication between citizens and local authorities .

Organizing the external reception meeting by the mayor the following results were accomplished :

1. Referring to citizens and business :

- The distance between citizens and local authority are shortened human dimensions of power and authority are more obvious ;

- Increase awareness on managerial programme and its performance ;

- Expression of respect towards employees their time is saved they do not need to use a day off in order to be received by the mayor ;

- Increasing opportunities for business to participate in programmes and projects ;

- One of the forms to serve citizens is already well-practiced ;

- Increasing transparency in the work of local authority .

2. Referring to the municipal managerial staff :

- Increasing confidence of business and citizens in local authorities , thus strengthening the will for cooperation ;

- Receive information about problems of business and discuss ways of finding joint solutions to problems ;

- Establish beneficial contacts and implement public - private partnerships ;

- Increase citizen participation oriented towards correcting , supporting and provoking initiatives of the local authority .