Section: CAPITAL REGION
Page: B6

Thursday, February 8, 1996

TOWNS IN RUSSIA LOOKING TO COLONIE FOR EXAMPLE

LARA JAKES Staff writer

COLONIE -- There are some things that the town of Colonie and towns in Tula, Russia, have in common. The landscape, for instance. Cold weather. Pesky newspaper reporters.

But there the Pepsi commercial ends. Like Tula, nearly all provinces in the former Soviet Union are struggling to make democracy and capitalism survive in the face of a collapsed Communist regime. And on Wednesday, a counselor to the governor of the Tula oblast -- a state-like administrative region -- visited Colonie's Town Hall to observe what makes local municipalities tick.

The differences between Colonie and mid-sized towns in Tula are stark: local Russian governments just now are being restructured and will hold mayoral elections for the first time this year; Colonie is a 100-year bastion of strong public leadership.

Many residents in the Tula oblast are recently unemployed; Colonie's residents include some of the richest in the Capital Region. Colonie is a Republican town; Tula is controlled by 43 separate political entities, including the Beer Lovers' Party.

But in the eyes of Alexander Mashkov, Tula towns can aspire to become a Russianized Colonie. Already, the city of Tula -- the region's capital -- is Albany's sister city. Officials established an alliance between the two cities in 1991.

``This is a classic model of government in Colonie, and it can be modeled (after) for towns in Tula,'' said Mashkov, who will report back to Tula oblast Gov. Nikolai Sevriugin as towns there turn toward restructuring their policies. Mashkov, who spoke through interpreter Natasha Leschenko, will return to his homeland next week after touring New York state for a month.

Long known as a region that manufactures weapons for the rest of the Russian republics, Tula recently faced cutbacks in its defense corporations, forcing the layoffs of many career workers. Coal mining also traditionally has employed Tulans, whose jobs dried up as quickly as the county's natural resources.

During their one-day tour with Deputy Supervisor Gerry Murphy, Mashkov and Leschenko met with town department heads and visited the police and emergency services departments. Mashkov was especially impressed with the recycling system at the town landfill, which apparently put its Tula counterpart to shame.

``We only now are discussing how to recycle,'' Mashkov said. ``I like (the Colonie landfill) very much.''

He was equally impressed with Comptroller Fred Shellard, jokingly offering the town budgeteer a job: ``I could take him right now,'' Mashkov quipped.

The visit buoyed Murphy's pride in Colonie.

``We're really happy they came -- they'll get to see the best example of local government in the area,'' Murphy said.

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