“The best part of being the Mayor is meeting all the different communities”

Steven met the Mayor of Medway in his council chambers, a much nicer room than the Leader of the Council has, once he stopped looking at the artefacts, they sat down and discussed how the Mayor met his wife, why you wont see a review of Bulgarian cuisine anytime soon, and what advice he has for the next Mayor.

First, a Christmas message from the Mayor.

Dear Residents of Medway,

As the festive season draws near, I wish to extend my heartfelt greetings to you all. Christmas is a time to come together, celebrate our shared values, and reflect on the year that has passed.

This year, Medway has seen remarkable growth and unity. From vibrant cultural events to the strength of our diverse communities, we have achieved so much together. It has been heartwarming to witness the generosity and resilience of Medway’s residents, who time and again demonstrate the true meaning of community.

Strong communities don’t happen by chance—it takes dedication, effort, and collaboration. Together, we must continue working for a better Medway tomorrow, ensuring it remains a place we are all proud to call home.

The Christmas season is also a time to think of others, especially those who may be struggling. A small gesture of kindness, a warm smile, or a helping hand can brighten someone’s day and embody the true spirit of this season.

As your Mayor, I feel privileged to represent such a passionate and supportive community. Your contributions to local initiatives, businesses, and charities continue to inspire me and make Medway an exceptional place to live, work, and thrive. I am proud to be Medway.

On behalf of Medway Council, I wish you and your loved ones a joyful Christmas filled with warmth, peace, and cherished moments. May the coming year bring health, happiness, and prosperity to all.

Merry Christmas

And now the interview.

What is your role in Medway Council?
I'm the Mayor of Medway.

What does that role entail?
A lot. So first of all, it's a purely ceremonial role. Most people don't understand that. I do attend a lot of business openings, a lot of charities, a lot of civic events. Like I give citizenship to people. I'm the first citizen of Medway.

And has that been a lot to get used to? How much time it kind of takes up?
Yes, to be honest, I was the deputy mayor to Councillor Nina Gurung last year and this one-year period being the deputy mayor, actually was a very good boot camp to becoming the mayor. I couldn't imagine how hard it was for Nina last year, being dropped in cold turkey.

Do you enjoy the role?
Yes, very much so.

What's your favourite part?
My favourite part is meeting the community. That's definitely the favourite, the best part of being the mayor, is meeting all the different communities, all the different charities and organizations. People in Medway, if you're not involved in this, you don't understand how much is going on and how many people are working really, really tirelessly to make our community better, not expecting anything in return. It's just amazing. This spirit, this community spirit in this charitable work it's amazing.

You're saying this isn't your main job, so how much time you would you say on average a week you spend as mayor?
To be honest, a lot yeah, it did become my permanent work, I wake up every morning I read and answer all emails, I schedule the day because usually I'll have one or two or three or even four events sometimes. Sometimes I have nothing, but sometimes I have a lot. I schedule the day; I'm writing my speeches every day. There is at least once a month, an event that I organize to raise funds for my supported charity, this takes a lot of my time as well.

Which charity are you supporting as Mayor?
I have two amazing charities that I support. One is Nucleus Arts, which you know they are very involved in the community, like Chatham Carnival, and Chinese New Year. And the other one is Midway Culture Club. They are a really, really nice charity, and they are based in my ward actually. They take children and they educate them on different aspects of history that could have been or could not have been taught in school. For Black History Month, we had the history about black Tudors. Would you imagine? There were actually popular black people in England during the Tudor time. There was even a painting of one who was, what was the word at that time? Bugler. For the king.

We're in the mayor's office at the moment. And I've been astounded by the artefacts. What's the nicest thing you've been gifted as mayor?
To be honest, this year I can't remember, obviously from time to time we get flowers, and they usually go to the Mayoress, of course, I got from the Horticultural society in Gillingham, they gave me a plum, to put into the ground.

Where were you born?
I was born in Bulgaria.

Where in Bulgaria?
It's a very central town called Gabrovo a very industrial town as well. They used to call it the little Manchester. It's in the mountains. We have a ski resort 30 minutes away. I used to go skiing quite a lot when I was younger and snowboarding as well. I haven't done that in many years.

Not as many opportunities in Medway. And what brought you to the Medway towns?
I came in 2011 looking for work to the UK. And I didn't come to Medway first. I actually went to Sunderland, because I had a job offer there. I stayed for about three months working as a courier driver for a company called Home Delivery Network, which now is called Yodel. And then the work dried up, so I moved to London, looking for work with the expectation that being a massive city, we have a lot of opportunities. I didn't like it in London. I stayed for about a Month there, and then I moved to Kent. I like Chatham, I've always been in the area. If you have to put a dot on Medway, always been around 20 minutes’ drive from Medway since then.

Did your wife come over with you or did you meet here?
No, no. So, we met on a student exchange program in America. In 2006 in the great state of Maine, which is not much to do there, but it was a very, very nice program that you go to experience American culture, and you work, and you travel. We met at the end of 2006 in America. There was actually a going away, it's a fun story. There was a going away party, and we met at the party, and she had to leave the next day to take her flight. Next year, 2007, we come to the same place, and we meet at the first welcoming party of the year. And she couldn't recognize me because I gained like 30 kilos, 2 kilograms. I gained a lot for that one year. And we're talking just casually. I'm like, ‘oh, you've been here last year. Do you remember someone from last year?’ and she says ‘Oh yeah, I remember this really nice guy called Marian. We met at the last party, but I don't see him around.’ I'm like, that's me.

Where is your wife from?
She's from Ukraine.
That's amazing, Ukrainian, but you met in America.

For the readers who might not be aware, how would you describe Bulgaria as a country?
Very beautiful. As a tourist, there is a lot to do there. You have the amazing mountains. You have the sea resort. You can travel two hours apart from them. I think economically and socially economically, it's on the rise now. Since we joined the European Union, things have been getting better and better. I know a lot of people that are going back to Bulgaria now, because they can earn actually better money there now than here and other European countries. Depends on your skills, of course. Politically, Bulgaria has been in crisis for the last five years. They don't have the same system as we do here, first past the poll. They have proportional representation, too many parties and they cannot form a government for the last five years. Otherwise, it's very beautiful and I would advise everyone to visit, it's well worth it.

Which sea is it that it borders?
It’s the Black Sea.
Which isn't black?
No, it's very blue.

What jobs did your parents do growing up?
My parents always ran a business. Before I was born my mum used to be a nurse and my father used to be a professional cyclist for Bulgaria. Yeah, he was one of the few who can actually travel abroad to race, to cycle. He was in the Bulgarian national team. Then after the fall of communism, they were doing business. They had a restaurant, a nightclub. Then my father left for Germany with another woman, leaving my mother alone. And I didn't see him for almost 20 years. My mom, she had this spirit, she continued doing work. She had a wholesale for cosmetics and detergent and later started producing toilet paper.

Did you enjoy school?
Yes, yeah, I did.

And what did you specialise in school? What subjects?
My high school was... my speciality was for a restaurant, hotel manager and cook, basically, it was a tourist school. Then my university I studied political science.

Where did you go to university?
I went to, I think it's the biggest private university in Bulgaria, in Varna. It's very hard to spell, it's called Chernorizets Hrabar.

Did you enjoy university?
I did very much. I mean, I have always been interested in politics and teaching us all these different systems and a lot of history, a lot of law, a lot of history, like it really opens your view of the world.
And while you were at university, you went to America?
Yes, first and second year university, I also went to America.
How long were you in America for?
Probably is usually four to six months every year. You can go towards the end of the year; you can go to America maybe around May and be back either in September or some people even stay till October. And then again next year.

And what were you doing when you were out in America? Studying politics there as well?
No. It's mostly a cultural exchange program. You work and you travel. It's called ‘Work and Travel.’ (laughs)

Where did you travel anywhere in particular?
There are people from all over the world. We actually make a very nice competition of who has the best dish, because we have like 17 nationalities. You work around three months and then you travel, if you are lucky, you can travel for about two months. We started from Maine, we bought a car, two cars. We travel all the way to Myrtle Beach in Florida. We didn't get to Miami, but we got to Myrtle Beach. And then we drove all the way back, taking a different route, stopping. Obviously, it took us almost a month and a half to that trip.

You mentioned food, where's the nearest place someone in Medway could go to eat Bulgarian food?
There's actually a very nice restaurant in Maidstone. Very, very popular. It's always full. If you're going on the weekend, you have to book. It's next to the mall. Okay. Fair enough.
But sadly, nowhere in the Medway area?
There used to be one, but it closed. There used to be one next to Buzz Bingo.

What is your favourite Bulgarian dish? What would you recommend to someone?
Banitsa.
What's that?
Banitsa, it really goes well, and people really like it. It's basically a pastry with feta cheese. Very nice. Really good, yeah. Lovely.

How many languages do you speak?
That's a very tricky question because most Balkan languages are quite the same. I can easily understand Macedonian, Serbian, Croatian, Montaigne. It's kind of the same language. It's 80% the same. If I speak with... If I put just a bit of effort, they can understand me, I can understand them. The same time, I completely understand Russian and Ukrainian. And with a bit of effort, I can probably speak it, people will understand what I have to say. Obviously English. I studied German in school, I don't remember much of it.

When you were studying political science in Bulgaria, did you ever consider running as a politician in Bulgaria?
Yes, yes, I was thinking about it. Eventually, after I finished school, to get established and then maybe to see. I always like things to be fair. And I really think that if you don't like something, just complain about it's not going to work. You really need to get there and get your hands dirty. Probably if I would stay and live in Bulgaria, we will still be in politics,

You also studied coding?
Yes, so during COVID, I had nothing to do. I signed myself up for a three-month coding bootcamp. And I finished it. I was surprised. To be honest, I was kind of studying by myself before that. I was surprised how much I picked up. I haven't used it since then. Because to find a job in coding would mean I have to leave my business, which it's not easy thing to do.

What is your official full-time job?
Me and my wife, we run a courier company. We subcontract companies like DPD and DHL. We provide them drivers and vans, and we have set areas that we service for them.

Outside of being the mayor, you're obviously an elected councillor. So which ward are you the councillor for?
For Watling.
And why Watling ward?
Well, it's where I live. Well, I'm on the border. Technically, I'm in Gillingham South, but literally five meters away from Watling ward. And it's a really nice area. Gillingham Park, we go there very, very often with my children. People are amazing. Everything, I love everything about Watling.

Which political party are you a member of?
Labour and Co-operative.

When did you join the Labour Party?
I joined in 2020 during Covid.

Was there a particular reason why you joined?
It would get political.
Okay, we’ll come back to that when you finish your term as Mayor.
I had my reasons.

When was the first time your name appeared on a ballot?
2023 local elections.
A fairly quick turnaround between joining, standing, winning, and becoming mayor.
Very short period of time. I did put a lot of my time as well. And that goes to everyone. If you want something to change, doesn't matter your political persuasion, you go there, you join a party, volunteer your time and maybe you can make some positive difference.

One of your roles is chairing the full council meeting.
Yes.
Did you ever have to do that as deputy?
Yes, I did it once. It was the pre last council before the AGM in 2024. Nina wasn’t well and I had to step in a bit in the last moment, which was terrifying because I was not ready for it.

There is a lot of ceremony at full council, there's a lot of pomp and dress. Did you have any experience of that in Bulgaria?
I think it's fair to say that's something very, like very... What's the word?
It is something that Britain does.

As well as being a councillor, a mayor and running your own business, is there any other roles that you're involved in?
I'm a father of two amazing children, that takes some time as well.

Are you on any other groups, chairing or member?
Well, yes, recently I created the Bulgarians in Kent CIC. I'm trying to organize the community because people, they tend to work a lot and not get out and meet people that much. I start making monthly cafes, like befriending cafes and other meetings. Now we're trying to do other meetings as well.

Is there a large Bulgarian population in Medway?
Yes, very large. In Medway, in Maidstone, in Kent in general, it's because of the farms. People come here to work on the farms, and they stay.

Are you a member of a union?
Yes. CWU, because of the courier business.

What do you do to unwind, to relax?
Not that much. If I have time, and I'm really looking forward for a bit of quiet time, we will often go on short breaks with my wife. We used to go few times a year for only few days in different places. I found out it's much more relaxing for me to go for three- or four-days break than to go for a long break when at the end you're already bored of the place. I like going out with people as well. The befriending cafes, it became very popular to be honest and people really, really like it.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?
I think I eat too much. No, that's a fact. That's a fact. I eat too much, and I was just thinking to myself today, I really need to lose some weight. That's my next... next challenge. Probably after I finish being the mayor, I'm going to challenge myself to lose at least three stones.

Whilst you currently do enjoy eating, is there anywhere in Medway you like to go for a meal?
I love a few places, but I would say Gurkha Fire is one of my favourites. I really like spicy food; I like Nando’s as well.

Is there anything particularly you're looking forward to for 2025?
Nothing comes to mind.

Is there any advice you would have for whoever becomes mayor next?
Yes, they have to make sure they have a lot of free time because it's very hard to combine this with actual work.

Footnotes

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

You can read our previous interviews here, including last year’s interview with then Mayor Nina Gurung.

If you want to suggest ideas or send tips for people to interview, email Steven.

Steven Keevil still manages to watch hundreds of films a year. He wants to recommend a Bulgarian film, but has discovered he has never seen one, just English language films, filmed in Bulgaria, and will get back to your when he has corrected this oversight.
He listened to no music whilst writing this but recommends reading Poor Things by Alasdair Gray.