Czechia's Youngest Mayor Is Stepping Down: "Even 60,000 Crowns Isn't Enough," Admits 21-Year-Old Politician

Czechia's youngest mayor, 21-year-old Jaroslav Rajskub, has decided not to seek re-election as head of the village of Heřmaň in the Písek district. After a year and a half at the helm of the municipality, he says he's grown disillusioned with politics and wants to return to running his own business and enjoying personal freedom.

Rajskub took charge of the 320-resident village about a year and a half ago, after the previous council fell apart in 2025. He put together a new slate of candidates, and his fellow council members elected him mayor — making him the youngest in the country.

Bureaucracy and Residents' Indifference

Rajskub says what wore him down most during his time in office was the bureaucracy, generational divides, and residents' general lack of interest in village affairs. "Something that could be done in a week instead takes a month — nobody in government offices is ever in a hurry," he complains, citing the example of repairing water collection tanks, which required a building permit and endless approvals.

He also notes that the same five people show up to local council meetings every time, and hardly anyone raises complaints to his face — instead, people talk behind his back at the village pub. Some residents call him arrogant, though he insists he tries to be approachable and is always ready to show up and talk things through.

Salary and Future Plans

As a full-time mayor, Rajskub estimates he earns between 60,000 and 80,000 crowns gross — according to the official pay scale, a mayor of a village this size is entitled to 65,500 crowns a month. For comparison, the average salary in Czechia is just under 52,000 crowns. Still, he's not satisfied with the amount, saying he earns more from his own business.

Besides being mayor, Rajskub works in video editing and co-owns a car rental company in Hradec Králové; his license plate is also linked to his affiliate marketing venture — promoting other people's products for a cut of the sales. As for the future, he doesn't dream of mortgages or houses: he admits he'd rather buy a yacht and sail around the Mediterranean than settle down in one place.

Despite his youth and passion for cars, the Motorists for Themselves party once approached him about a potential partnership, but he turned them down — politics, he says, simply isn't for him.

What He Managed to Accomplish in a Year and a Half

During his term, the mayor repaired part of the village roads, supported the local volunteer fire brigade, restored a memorial, and began renovating the village pub — which had mold in the kitchen and unsafe toilets; the work is set to finish in mid-September. He also organized the cleaning of local water wells, which helped the village get through a dry year, though it turned out the reservoir's tanks lose about half their water in summer.

Locals generally speak positively of his work, praising his help securing grants and his support for opening a village shop. However, the outlet was unable to find a published budget for the village this year, even though publishing it is required by law — the mayor said this was likely a publishing settings error and promised to post the document.

In the upcoming election in Heřmaň, only one slate of candidates is running, so the change of leadership will happen without any real competition. Rajskub says he's trying to finish the projects he started so that unpopular decisions don't fall on his successor's shoulders, and he advises all municipalities to aim for as diverse a council as possible.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz