Chapter 455

After eating Xinye noodle soup, Lu Fan, accompanied by Wang Hong and Li Yuan, took a night tour of Nanyuan City.

Nanyuan World Rose Grand Garden, radiant and colorful, dazzling and charming. In the interplay of light and shadow, it displays a unique beauty.

Lu Fan exclaimed: "Lights dim, stars twinkle; fire trees and silver flowers make a sleepless night. This construction is quite beautiful—grand, solemn, elegant—surely not cheap!"

Wang Hong replied: "This was crafted by Wang Shuai, with the theme 'A city full of greenery, half a city of water; one night of splendid shadows recounting brilliance,' focusing on creating 'one belt, two zones, multiple nodes' nightscape, shaping a city night image with balanced light and dark, distinct warm and cold, and dynamic and static combined. Money definitely wasn't spared—Secretary Hong Tao just cleared debts not long ago, yet the city government has again owed over 5 billion!"

Arriving at the "Three Halls and One Courtyard," the multicolored lights decorated the park splendidly, intoxicating. The curved arched bridges, staggered colorful lights, and varied-shaped boulders resembled a scroll; various light shows revealed the charm of a big city.

The number of local residents has clearly increased, because the environment is good, each venue's night scenery is beautiful, attracting many people to come here for a check-in.

Lu Fan said: "Where money is spent, that's where it's good! The construction here is indeed not bad; residents now have a place for leisure and entertainment. But I definitely won't put effort into this—it's a matter of governing philosophy."

Li Yuan flattered: "The mayor is famous for being pragmatic; he definitely won't do those flashy but impractical things."

Lu Fan laughed: "Those with too much money will also do it! Wolong District's development is not bad, its GDP reached 66.4 billion, ranking first in the city, but growth has slowed these two years. Li Yuan, Wang Hong—you're not outsiders; I'm seeking your opinion on the next steps."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan held his breath, looking at Lu Fan with eager anticipation, while Wang Hong also pricked up his ears.

"The municipal government currently has two vacant vice mayor positions, one of which is a standing committee member. If you are interested, I can recommend you to the provincial party committee. Moreover, Wolong District's economic scale and political standing are outstanding in the city; it is reasonable for the district party secretary to also serve as a standing committee member."

Li Yuan quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind, after a brief consideration he said: "Mayor, I will follow your arrangements! As long as it benefits the municipal government's work and facilitates overall control, I am willing to go anywhere!"

Lu Fan smiled and said: "You sly fellow, you've dumped the problem on me! Well, I'll consider it; the city only has recommendation authority, the final decision rests with the provincial party committee, so you need to adjust your mindset. But I must emphasize one point: if you continue serving as district party secretary, Wolong's GDP must exceed 80 billion within two years, with no room for negotiation!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan felt the weight on his shoulders heavy, yet he secretly resolved that no matter what, he could not let down the "monitor's" trust! It's just work—at worst, he'd lose some flesh, shed a layer of skin!

Although Lu Fan's words were somewhat ambiguous, Wang Hong heard from them a strong sense of confidence.

As for the selection of the municipal government secretary-general and deputy secretaries-general, Lu Fan did not ask, nor did they mention it. Years of bureaucratic ups and downs have taught them a truth: being outspoken is not necessarily good, even if well-intentioned, but learning to keep silent is certainly not bad!

The next day at work, Lu Fan glanced at some documents, then rose and went to the municipal party committee, which could be considered reporting to the organization.

As Lu Fan just stepped out of the elevator, he was noticed by Secretary Wang Haiyang's secretary, because he had been paying attention; according to routine, the mayor meets the secretary in the morning.

"Good morning, Mayor. I am Zhou Juan Shu, secretary to Secretary Wang. The secretary's office happens to be empty; I will take you in."

Lu Fan smiled and nodded slightly, then followed Zhou Juan Shu to the secretary's office.

Seeing the visitor, Wang Haiyang rose to greet him, smiling and saying: "Lu Fan, now that you've come to Nanyuan, I can finally relax! But rest assured, I will definitely stand firm on the last shift, clearing some obstacles for you!"

Lu Fan gave a slight smile and replied: "Taking over the 'baton' of government work, I deeply feel the heavy responsibility on my shoulders and the mission as weighty as a mountain. Under the strong leadership of the municipal party committee, I will lead from the front, rise early and work late, with a style of finishing tasks the same day to ensure implementation, with the vigor to leave marks on iron to pursue undertakings, not betraying the organization's trust, comrades' faith, and the people's expectations."

Wang Haiyang said: "Your ability is unquestionable; under your leadership, the municipal government will certainly strive and achieve results that satisfy Nanyuan's people. Lu Fan, the municipal government has two vacant vice mayor positions, one of which is a standing committee member. Important posts cannot remain vacant long, or it will affect the government's fighting capacity. Wolong District Party Secretary Li Yuan, like you, is a member of the middle-young cadre class; his work in Wolong is also commendable. Promoting Li Yuan to vice mayor is both reasonable and appropriate; I intend to recommend him to the provincial party committee. What is your opinion?"

Lu Fan did not take the bait, replying: "Secretary, I have just arrived in Nanyuan and am not yet familiar with the situation; without investigative authority I have no right to speak, so I cannot currently offer constructive suggestions, but I will firmly follow the organization and the standing committee's decisions."

Secretary Wang Haiyang has only one year left before retirement, basically no time to let Lu Fan get acquainted with the situation; he wants to conduct a large-scale personnel adjustment across the city, and many posts have already been "promised" away, including the Wolong District Party Secretary, so he intended to transfer Li Yuan out, while also doing Lu Fan a favor by promoting your classmate. But he didn't expect Lu Fan to come with a complete refusal—what then should be done?

"Lu Fan, both municipal departments and all counties/districts have vacancies; this year's situation is special, necessitating a large-scale adjustment and rotation—time waits for no one!"

Lu Fan pondered, then replied: "Secretary, before adjusting the counties/districts and municipal departments, we must first determine the members of the four leadership teams. Using achievements to judge heroes and to employ cadres is the wind direction for cadre promotion; as long as work yields results, with solid work style, ability, reputation, discipline, and politics, I will strongly support."

Upon hearing this, Wang Haiyang handed over a personnel adjustment plan, saying: "This is a preliminary draft by the Organization Department, based on vacant posts and corresponding qualifications and conditions, after thorough deliberation; please take a look first."

Lu Fan received the list, glanced at it seriously, and said embarrassedly: "Secretary, I see these names are just names—like seeing 'Zhang San' and 'Li Si'—I don't know any of them, so I'd rather not participate in this cadre adjustment!"

Wang Haiyang felt a bit anxious inside; adjusting cadres without the mayor's participation is definitely not acceptable, especially since this mayor is no ordinary person!

Helpless, he said: "Lu Fan, if you have any ideas or suggestions, we can discuss them; I am not stubbornly opinionated and unwilling to hear others' views!"

Lu Fan sincerely replied: "Secretary, I truly do not understand the situation and cannot make random suggestions. However, as a member of the leadership team, I will definitely obey and strictly implement the collective decisions of the standing committee."

Wang Haiyang sighed and said: "Alright, then you should quickly familiarize yourself with the work; next week we'll hold a five-person group meeting! Regarding the selection of deputy bureau-level leaders, I will first actively seek the provincial party committee's approval, trying as much as possible to promote local Nanyuan cadres. The vacant posts of municipal government secretary-general and the government office need to be filled promptly; you just have the Organization Department prepare a plan."

Lu Fan responded resolutely: "Thank you for your support, Secretary; I will promptly finalize the personnel selections."

Today's talk basically had no effect; Lu Fan returned to his office and summoned Executive Vice Mayor Wang Hong to the office, saying bluntly: "First recommend a secretary for me, then appoint a deputy secretary-general to assist my work."

Wang Hong opened his notebook and reported: "Mayor, I oversee the municipal government office; let me first give a general overview of the office's situation: it has 24 internal departments—Comprehensive Section, Documents Section, Policy and Regulations Section, General Duty Room, Inspection Section, Performance Management Office, Information Section, Research Section, Government Affairs Disclosure Office, Function Transformation Coordination Section, Sections One through Nine, Administrative Reconsideration and Litigation Section, Personnel Education Section, Petitions Section, and the Party Committee of the organ; among them, Section One is the mayor's office."

The administrative staffing is 112 people, including 1 secretary-general, 8 deputy secretaries-general, and 1 discipline inspection group leader; the director of the municipal government office is 1, concurrently held by the secretary-general, with 3 deputy directors; the heads of the Policy Research Office, Inspection Office, Target Management Office, Emergency Office, and the full-time deputy secretary of the organ Party Committee are staffed at deputy division level; the number of leading positions at Zhengke Level is 28, and at Deputy Section Level is 18.

Moreover, there are four independently staffed affiliated units: the Nanyuan Government Gazette Editorial Department, the Administrative Reconsideration Mediation Service Center, the Beijing Office, and the Provincial Office. The annual fiscal budget is 45 million, with 10 official vehicles.

Lu Fan nodded and said: "This differs somewhat from Yingjiang's institutional setup, but it's largely the same."

Wang Hong continued: "There are currently 7 deputy secretaries-general, coordinating with each vice mayor's work; only Han Shimin is temporarily 'idle,' as the vice mayor he served retired to his hometown to become a CPPCC chairman. Mayor, I suggest we completely replace Section One!"

Lu Fan, having a general understanding of several deputy secretaries-general, immediately decided: "Later you call Han Shimin to my office; I'll talk with him. As for the other deputy secretaries-general, you talk with them, ensuring they are politically reliable, capable in business, and have solid work style, to facilitate future promotion and use; the municipal government does not need impostors who drag down the group! As for section heads and cadres, first observe them for a period; those who have close ties and interests with Wang Shuai, you handle communication with the Discipline Inspection Committee—investigate what should be investigated, handle what should be handled! If the problems are not serious, and they trust the organization, rely on it, proactively explain issues to the organization and actively correct them, they can also be given a chance to let go of burdens and move forward lightly!"

Han Shimin nodded and said: "Okay, Mayor, I will quickly finish screening personnel to further enhance the municipal government's cohesion, fighting capacity, and execution!"

Lu Fan added: "First let Han Shimin come over, then emphasize to the comrades waiting outside: work reports should be concise and to the point; past achievements are just a brief mention—focus on goals and discuss methods; each person gets five minutes, and I will ask questions at any time."