Aytaç Durak

Aytaç Durak (born 1938) is a Turkish politician, and has been the mayor of Adana since 1984, excluding one term (1989–1994).

He is the longest serving locally elected city mayor in Turkey, currently at his 5th term.

Adding his 17 years as a municipal councillor, he will have served the municipality of Adana for 42 years by the end of this term.

He was the president of the Municipalities Union of Turkey for 17 years and the Çukurova Municipalities Union for 12 years.

Aytaç Durak was born in Karaisalı district of Adana Province in 1938 to a middle-class merchant family.

He was the second eldest of the six siblings.

He completed his primary education (Grade 1-5) at Gazipaşa Public School, secondary education at Tepebağ Middle School (Grade 6-8) and at Adana Lycee for Boys (Grade 9-11).

He studied Civil Engineering at Istanbul Technical University from 1957 to 1963.

He started his career in 1963 at State Hydraulic Works(DSİ) as Drinking Water Chief of Adana.

In 1963, after starting his career at DSİ, he was appointed as Adana municipal councillor representing DSİ.

In 1965, he was appointed as YSE (Road-Water-Electric Agency now called Rural Services) Director for Adana Province.

At the mean time, he became the member of Adana Chamber of Commerce.

He completed compulsory military service at Ankara-Mamak War Institute and Military Research and Development Agency.

Later in his life, he founded a construction company (Durak İnşaat) with his 2 civil engineer brothers and, during the 1970s and early 1980s, he built over 2000 homes.

Aytaç Durak is the only politician to have run in all the municipal elections since 1973; twice as councillor, six times as mayoral candidate, losing only once in the 1989 mayoral race.

He is regarded as the doyen of Turkey's local politics.

After two terms as appointed Municipal Councillor, in 1973 municipal elections, he ran from Justice Party and elected as municipal councillor.

In 1977 he was re-elected and also acted as the speaker of the Justice Party at the council.

He served two terms as elected councillor and removed from the council by coup d'état on September 12, 1980, with all the other politicians in Turkey.

Municipal democracy was suspended until 1984.

During the years that he was at the council, he formed the ideas that will later revolutionize the cityscape; expanding city to north and revitalizing Seyhan River and building large recreational areas around it.

At the municipal elections on March 25, 1984, he was elected Mayor of Adana representing Motherland Party(ANAP).

During his first term as mayor, he expanded city to north by planning a modern residential district to house 200 thousand residents.

He named this district as Yeni Adana (New Adana).

He constructed Adnan Menderes Boulevard along the south shores of Seyhan Reservoir and built parks, picnic areas around it.

Adnan Menderes Boulevard then became the main recreational area for the city.

He built Regülatör Köprü on Seyhan river south of the old town, a bridge which also acts as a regulator of river water.

This caused the part of the river, that is within the city limits, to be full all year around.

The river which used to partially dry and have odour in summer times, revitalized and became the core recreational area of the city.

During this term, he also founded municipal-owned not-for-profit construction company which built thousands of homes for low-income residents.

Although having a successful term, at the municipal elections of 1989, he lost his post to Selahattin Çolak.

This was due to the partisan municipal election system in Turkey.

His party ANAP was the governing party, but became very unpopular during this time.

To protest the governing party, voters chose opposition parties' candidates during the municipal elections without considering candidates' individual skills.

At the municipal elections of March 27, 1994 he was re-elected as mayor of Adana again representing ANAP, this time voters focusing on candidates' skills by comparing his term to Selahattin Çolak's term.

At this term, he started building recreational pathways on both banks of Seyhan river from south end to Seyhan Reservoir.

He gave special attention to Dilberler Sekisi, most scenic part of the recreational pathway between the old and the new dam.

He renovated Atatürk Park and many other parks, built new recreational areas on the northern section of the city.

He continued building infrastructure to expand city to north.

The construction of Adana Metro, 13.5 km long rapid transit system, started in 1997.