Mayor of Leros held to account: from funding to foul-mouthed rows – The full backstory

On Sunday 14 September 2025, the Municipal Council met for the Mayor’s statutory accountability session covering the fourth two-month period of 2025.

Unfortunately, once again, scenes unfolded that did no favours to anyone, least of all to the workings of the island’s highest institutional body.

This was despite the earnest efforts of the Council President, Panagiotis Koumparos, who, by common consent, had the toughest brief: to uphold the council’s institutional standing even as the atmosphere deteriorated.

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At the outset, and for roughly the first 20 minutes, proceedings were orderly. As is customary, the Council President gave the floor to the Mayor of Leros, Timotheos Kottakis, who briefed members on actions over the past two months and on project funding either underway or in the pipeline.

The good news Mr Kottakis announced

• €2,450,000 for road resurfacing across 18km of the network, funded by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum.
• Restoration of street lighting around the Partheni dam area (the previous installation had gone in without a formal study), funded by the South Aegean Region.
• Phase two of the “Leros” hotel is progressing at pace and is expected to finish up to a month early (late February–early March 2026).
• Repair of a cavity at Lakki harbour, a job pending since 2013, with €800,000 from the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy and €195,000 from the South Aegean Region.
• Full restoration of the two main desalination units and servicing of all boreholes.
• Small desalination plants have been brought back into service and are undergoing chemical cleaning after years of neglect.
• The Region’s €1,200,000 resurfacing tender closed in early September with six bidders; a contractor should be appointed shortly, adding ~11km of roads on top of the 18km above.
• Kamara Nursery: €1,450,000 from the South Aegean Region for a new 395 m² building; the design tender has been completed.
• Sewerage for Xirokambos – Temenia – KED: the contractor tender will be published within weeks; €2,950,000 in funding from the Ministry of Migration and Asylum is already secured.
• Residual-waste landfill (XYTY): tendered by the South Aegean Region via the regional waste authority (FODSA); awaiting the contractor to start.
• Restoration studies launched for: the Olympia Karagiorga house; the former Council chamber building in Platanos; and the Lakki cinema-theatre.

VAT and ENFIA

On tax, Mr Kottakis said the VAT reduction for islands with fewer than 20,000 residents is important but does not cover Leros, as the island already benefits from reduced rates due to migration/refugee infrastructure. He will press for further VAT reductions tailored to Leros, citing the operation of the island’s Closed Controlled Access Centre for migrants and refugees, run by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum.

Separately, the head of the municipal administration, Giorgos Filippidis, offered clarifications on ENFIA (the national property tax) and which parts of Leros do not fall under the exemption for settlements under 1,500 inhabitants (see the video for details).

How the row began

After the Mayor’s briefing, President Koumpáros handed the floor to opposition leader Michalis Kolias to put his question to Mr Kottakis.

Tensions rose when Mr Kolias sought to make a broader statement on the Mayor’s remarks. The President ruled that such a statement was out of order in this special sitting, which concerns the Mayor’s accountability, not that of the opposition leader. He added that Mr Kolias could make a full statement at the next regular meeting. Mr Kolias accused the chair of “anti-democratic procedures”.

Following this clash, the chair granted Mr Kolias the floor to ask his question:

“We seek answers on the municipality’s financial management and on fair treatment in the service of citizens.”

First suspension

Mr Kolias began, noting that his question comprised several sub-questions (which had not been included in the original submission or the agenda). After the Mayor answered the first sub-question, tempers flared again, with mutual allegations between the Mayor and the opposition leader, prompting the first suspension.

When the sitting resumed, Mr Kolias moved to a second sub-question, adding he had “many more”. The Mayor replied that these sub-questions were not on the agenda, meaning neither municipal services nor he himself could be expected to answer on the spot, and accused Mr Kolias of turning the session into a “show”.

Second suspension

At that point, Mr Kottakis, most councillors and many members of the public left the chamber in protest, leaving Mr Kolias to address a near-empty room. He continued to demand answers, but the President noted that the Mayor had exited and would not respond. Mr Kolias then left, along with the three opposition councillors present (Nektarios Billis, Angelos Konstantinidis and Nikolaos Spyrou) blaming Mr Kottakis for the turn of events. The sitting was suspended for a second time.

It should be noted that, after the special session resumed once more, Mr Kottakis went on to answer all questions that were formally on the agenda.

Watch the video of the sitting (Greek language)