A flat for every day of the week
Monday and Tuesday
Locally subsidized housing is something that the state makes available for the poor, for dysfunctional families, the handicapped, and for the starving artists of the world. Thousands of people in Warsaw wait years to get into one of these more affordable abodes.
And surely, this had to be the case for one Jan Maria Jackowski, head of a large family and budding artist/photographer, when he was accepted into a subsidized flat in the cozy confines of Warsaw's Saska Kępa neighborhood some years ago, and again when he received a separate artist's studio in the nearby Gocław district.
But Gazeta Wyborcza recently got hold of some rather shocking evidence. Apparently, Jackowski must have cracked open his piggy bank to find a small fortune saved up from all that money he wasn't spending on rent, because suddenly he was investing in a brand-new condo. Well, actually, make that five brand-new condos.
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, $, $, $
Yes, seven in all. One for every day of the week. Maybe it's his lucky number... Or maybe Jackowski did it for biblical reasonsGod created the world in seven days. Whatever his motivation, its clear that seven is better than one, or even two. And the five new ones only cost him zł.570,000. (Perhaps the Saska Kępa home and the little Gocław studio were just too small to fit Jackowski's stacks of cash.)
But the industrious Jackowski never planned to live in the five new flats. Instead, he bought them in order to rent them out, thus providing his family with a steady-and sizable-monthly income stream.
So, while all those living below the poverty line were patiently waiting for their subsidized flats, Mr. Jackowski could rest assured that not only did his family have a place to live, but they also had a guaranteed livelihood set up for the long-term. Jackowski could be safe in the knowledge that he had done the utmost to care for his family.
So who better to head up the Warsaw branch of the Polish League of Families (RPL) than Jan Maria Jackowski, conscientious family man? Who better to be chairman of Warsaw's City Council but Jackowski, shrewd real estate mogul and expert on the urban issue of subsidized housing?
Currently Jackowski holds both of these positions.
Family first
Since the news got out on how Mr. Jackowski managed to pull one on the system, the opposition has dubbed him Jan "Mieszkania" ("Flats") Jackowski, and his utter defiance of ethics has shocked the Warsaw community.
But it appears that the system itself has no problem with Jackowskis actions. In fact, although the law states that a tenant of a community flat cannot own other flats, this rule is only enforced at the time the tenancy agreement is first signed. So, at least according to the law, there is nothing wrong with Jackowski's scheme.
Gazeta Wyborcza reported on Wednesday that Jackowski has threatened to sue the newspaper for delving into his family's affairs. To the outside observer, it may appear that Jackowski's attitude toward "the family" is, once again, entirely consistent with his political stance. Only he seems to have forgotten that Poland has other families besides his own.
Locally subsidized housing is something that the state makes available for the poor, for dysfunctional families, the handicapped, and for the starving artists of the world. Thousands of people in Warsaw wait years to get into one of these more affordable abodes.
And surely, this had to be the case for one Jan Maria Jackowski, head of a large family and budding artist/photographer, when he was accepted into a subsidized flat in the cozy confines of Warsaw's Saska Kępa neighborhood some years ago, and again when he received a separate artist's studio in the nearby Gocław district.
But Gazeta Wyborcza recently got hold of some rather shocking evidence. Apparently, Jackowski must have cracked open his piggy bank to find a small fortune saved up from all that money he wasn't spending on rent, because suddenly he was investing in a brand-new condo. Well, actually, make that five brand-new condos.
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, $, $, $
Yes, seven in all. One for every day of the week. Maybe it's his lucky number... Or maybe Jackowski did it for biblical reasonsGod created the world in seven days. Whatever his motivation, its clear that seven is better than one, or even two. And the five new ones only cost him zł.570,000. (Perhaps the Saska Kępa home and the little Gocław studio were just too small to fit Jackowski's stacks of cash.)
But the industrious Jackowski never planned to live in the five new flats. Instead, he bought them in order to rent them out, thus providing his family with a steady-and sizable-monthly income stream.
So, while all those living below the poverty line were patiently waiting for their subsidized flats, Mr. Jackowski could rest assured that not only did his family have a place to live, but they also had a guaranteed livelihood set up for the long-term. Jackowski could be safe in the knowledge that he had done the utmost to care for his family.
So who better to head up the Warsaw branch of the Polish League of Families (RPL) than Jan Maria Jackowski, conscientious family man? Who better to be chairman of Warsaw's City Council but Jackowski, shrewd real estate mogul and expert on the urban issue of subsidized housing?
Currently Jackowski holds both of these positions.
Family first
Since the news got out on how Mr. Jackowski managed to pull one on the system, the opposition has dubbed him Jan "Mieszkania" ("Flats") Jackowski, and his utter defiance of ethics has shocked the Warsaw community.
But it appears that the system itself has no problem with Jackowskis actions. In fact, although the law states that a tenant of a community flat cannot own other flats, this rule is only enforced at the time the tenancy agreement is first signed. So, at least according to the law, there is nothing wrong with Jackowski's scheme.
Gazeta Wyborcza reported on Wednesday that Jackowski has threatened to sue the newspaper for delving into his family's affairs. To the outside observer, it may appear that Jackowski's attitude toward "the family" is, once again, entirely consistent with his political stance. Only he seems to have forgotten that Poland has other families besides his own.
