187: Chapter 187 Executive Deputy County Head

In March, Changyuan County was slightly cold. Xu Weidong was smoothly promoted to Deputy Secretary of the County Government's Party Leadership Group and Executive Deputy County Magistrate.

The air conditioning in the third-floor conference room of the County Government hummed, and the long oval table was packed with people.

At the County Mayor's executive meeting, in addition to County Mayor Bai Weijun and several deputy county magistrates, the heads of several key departments, such as the Director of the Government Office, the Director of the Development and Reform Bureau, and the Director of the Finance Bureau, were also in attendance.

The meeting had already been underway for over an hour. The earlier topics were all routine work, with everyone speaking in a measured, steady manner, and the atmosphere was rather lukewarm.

It wasn't until County Mayor Bai Weijun opened the final document and cleared his throat.

"The final topic is regarding the division of responsibilities for Comrade Xu Weidong."

The air in the conference room instantly shifted. Everyone pricked up their ears, yet their faces remained expressionless, as if this matter had absolutely nothing to do with them.

Xu Weidong sat to the right of County Mayor Bai Weijun, with a blank notebook spread open in front of him, not a single word written.

County Mayor Bai Weijun had touched base with him beforehand, telling him not to worry about the division of responsibilities.

He didn't ask for details, nor was it appropriate for him to do so.

In the history of Changyuan County, the division of responsibilities for the Executive Deputy County Magistrate had never been detailed; it was always the same few sentences every year.

Everyone had gone through it this way, and it was the same no matter who took the post.

But as County Mayor Bai Weijun held the list of responsibilities he was about to read, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"Comrade Xu Weidong will assist me in handling the day-to-day executive work of the County Government. He will be in charge of the County Government Office, the County Government Supervision Office, the County Government Affairs Disclosure Office, the County Government Offices Administration Bureau, and the County Government Reception Office."

After reading this list, County Mayor Bai Weijun paused, as if giving those present some time to digest it.

The County Government Office was the hub of government operations, the Supervision Office held the power of evaluation, the Government Offices Administration Bureau managed all official vehicles, public housing, and public property in the county, and the Reception Office handled hospitality and protocol.

These four departments combined practically placed all internal administrative power of the County Government into his hands.

Deputy County Magistrate Liu Changde's hand paused slightly as he raised his teacup. He was a veteran in charge of industry, having been in the county for nearly ten years, and had seen all kinds of storms.

He glanced at County Mayor Bai Weijun, then at Xu Weidong, lowered his head to blow on the tea leaves, and took a slow sip.

His face remained expressionless, but his mind was already calculating.

County Mayor Bai Weijun continued reading: "He will be in charge of the County Development and Reform Bureau, the County Grain Bureau, the County Price Bureau, the County Civil Air Defense Office, and the County National Defense Mobilization Committee Office."

The Development and Reform Bureau was the leader in county project funds. Although the Grain Bureau and the Price Bureau were peripheral, the Civil Air Defense Office and the National Defense Mobilization Office held real power.

Previously, the Development and Reform Bureau of Changyuan County was directly managed by a dedicated deputy county magistrate and assisted by the executive deputy county magistrate. Now, County Mayor Bai Weijun's wording was 'in charge of,' not 'assisting with'—a single word's difference made a world of difference.

Deputy County Magistrate Zhao Qiming poked his notebook with his pen. He had been in charge of the Development and Reform Bureau for two years, handling over a billion yuan in project funds annually, giving him significant influence in the county.

Now that the Development and Reform Bureau was assigned to Xu Weidong, his area of responsibility had been cut by a third.

He wanted to say something, but looking at County Mayor Bai Weijun's young face, and then at Xu Weidong's equally young face, he swallowed his words.

County Mayor Bai Weijun turned a page, his speaking speed unchanged, as if reading a most ordinary work arrangement.

"He will be in charge of the County Finance Bureau, the County State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Bureau, the County Financial Affairs Office, the County Investment and Financing Management Center, and the county-owned state investment and financing platform companies."

The conference room fell completely silent. The Finance Bureau was the County Government's purse; the State-owned Assets Bureau managed all state-owned assets in the county; the Financial Affairs Office interfaced with major banks; and the Investment and Financing Management Center and the state-owned platform companies controlled the county's financing channels.

These departments combined were equivalent to handing over all of Changyuan County's financial, asset, and financing powers to Xu Weidong.

Previously, the Director of the Finance Bureau reported directly to the County Mayor, and the Executive Deputy County Magistrate only coordinated. Now, County Mayor Bai Weijun's wording was 'in charge of,' meaning the Director of the Finance Bureau would have to report to Xu Weidong first in the future.

The Director of the Finance Bureau, Zhou Lihua, sat in the observer's section, a layer of fine sweat breaking out on his forehead.

He was Secretary Wei Kuan's man and had followed him for several years. He didn't have much interaction with County Mayor Bai Weijun, and even less contact with Xu Weidong.

Now that Xu Weidong had become his supervising leader—and an exceptionally young one at that—his heart rate quickened.

County Mayor Bai Weijun did not pause and continued reading: "He will be in charge of the County Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau, the County Urban Management Comprehensive Law Enforcement Bureau, the County Real Estate Administration Bureau, the County Urban and Rural Planning Bureau, the County Landscape and Greening Management Office, and the County Municipal Public Utilities Management Office."

The Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau, the Urban Management Bureau, the Real Estate Administration Bureau, and the Planning Bureau—these four departments managed the county's urban-rural construction, real estate development, and city appearance.

Previously, these departments were assigned to the deputy county magistrates below, but now they were all transferred to Xu Weidong.

Although the Landscape Office and the Municipal Office were small units, they managed greening, streetlights, and municipal facilities, making them departments with genuine, solid authority.

Deputy County Magistrate Chen Guoliang's face finally changed. He had been in charge of urban construction for several years, was on very close terms with developers, and was nicknamed 'Chen Half-the-City' in the county.

Now that the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau and the Planning Bureau were assigned to Xu Weidong, half of his lifeblood had been taken away.

After reading this long list of urban construction departments, County Mayor Bai Weijun paused slightly, his voice remaining steady.

"He will be in charge of the County Safety Supervision Bureau, the County Emergency Management Office, the County Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters Office, the County Forest Fire Prevention Headquarters Office, and the County Disaster Reduction Committee Office."

The Safety Supervision Bureau was a department with real power, managing the county's production safety.

The Emergency Management Office, the Flood Control Office, the Fire Prevention Office, and the Disaster Reduction Office usually had little presence, but at critical moments, they were vital departments holding real power.

County Mayor Bai Weijun turned another page, and the hearts of the deputy county magistrates leaped into their throats along with the movement of his fingers.

"He will be in charge of the County Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, the County Administrative Approval Service Bureau, the County Public Resource Trading Management Office, and the County Business Environment Construction Bureau."

The Human Resources and Social Security Bureau managed the staffing and salaries of the entire county; the Administrative Approval Bureau managed the county's approval authority; the Public Resource Trading Center managed the county's bidding; and the Business Environment Bureau managed the county's business environment evaluation.

These four departments combined were equivalent to handing over all personnel, approval, transaction, and evaluation powers to Xu Weidong.

At this point, County Mayor Bai Weijun looked up, glanced at the deputy county magistrates present, and curled his lips slightly into a smile that carried an unquestionable certainty.

"He will be in charge of the County Investment Promotion Service Center, the County Project Construction Service Center, and the County Ecological Environmental Protection Office."

Investment promotion and project construction were the core work of the County Government, and these two areas were also highly lucrative.

Previously, the Investment Promotion Service Center was managed by a single deputy county magistrate, run like an impenetrable iron fortress, such that even deputy county magistrates on the Standing Committee couldn't get a word in.

"He will be in charge of the County Government Legislative Affairs Office and the County Letters and Calls Bureau. He will assist me in overseeing the County Audit Bureau."

The Legislative Affairs Office managed the review of normative documents across the county; the Letters and Calls Bureau managed the stability of public petitions; and the Audit Bureau was the County Mayor's eyes.

Previously, these departments were directly managed by the County Mayor, but now County Mayor Bai Weijun handed the Legislative Affairs Office and the Letters and Calls Bureau directly to Xu Weidong.

Although he was not directly in charge of the Audit Bureau, the phrase 'assisting the County Mayor in overseeing' meant that the Director of the Audit Bureau would also have to report to Xu Weidong frequently in the future.

After finishing the last item, County Mayor Bai Weijun closed the folder, raised his head, and swept his gaze across everyone present.

"The above is the plan for Comrade Xu Weidong's division of responsibilities. Take a look, everyone. Are there any comments?"

The conference room remained silent for a long time. No one spoke, so quiet that only the humming of the air conditioning could be heard.