Arkadiusz Wiśniewski
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Arkadiusz Wiśniewski (born 29 August 1978 in Opole) is a Polish politician who has served as the president of Opole since 2014.
Arkadiusz Wiśniewski | |
|---|---|
| |
| President of Opole | |
| Assumed office 4 December 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Ryszard Zembaczyński |
| Deputy President of Opole | |
| In office 1 December 2010 – 30 October 2013 | |
| President | Ryszard Zembaczyński |
| Member of the Opole City Council | |
| In office 27 October 2002 – 1 December 2010 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 August 1978 |
| Party | Independent |
Biography
Arkadiusz Wiśniewski was born on 29 August 1978 to Henryk and Henryka Wiśniewscy.[1] He earned a bachelor's degree in political administration and master's degree in political science in the University of Opole. He also earned a Master of Business Administration diploma in the Wrocław University of Economics. He was a professor at his alma mater, a manager at the Opole Center for Economic Development, and the director and deputy director of institutions dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship.[2]
In 2002 he became a member of the Opole City Council on behalf of the Electoral Committee of Ryszard Zembaczyński; he was then re-elected in 2006 and 2010 from the lists of the Civic Platform. He served as chairman of the PO councilors’ club and vice-chairman of the city council. He resigned from his council seat after being appointed deputy president of Opole in 2010.[2] He was dismissed three years later. A motion was also filed at that time to expel him from the Civic Platform, accusing him of actions aimed at causing a split within the party's councilors’ club.[3] Wiśniewski left Civic Platform on his own behalf in November 2013.[4] In March 2014, he founded the association Opole na Tak, serving as its president.[5] He also co-founded the Gospodarne Opolskie initiative,[6] which ran for the Opole Voivodeship Sejmik.
In the 2014 Polish local elections he ran for the president of Opole as an independent, winning the election in the run-off with almost 67.7% of the popular vote.[7] In the 2018 Polish local elections, he was successfully re-elected, winning 70.4% of the popular vote in the first vote.[8] He was elected for the third term in the 2024 Polish local elections, winning 75.5% in the first round.[9]
He was the driving force behind the expansion of Opole's administrative boundaries to include neighboring towns,[10] which took place in 2017.[11] During his tenure, Opole was admitted to the global network of “age-friendly cities” under the World Health Organization,[12] was recognized as the provincial capital with the best “daycare coverage” in Poland,[13] and also topped the ranking of cities in terms of investment spending compiled by the magazine “Wspólnota.”[14] In 2023, he became an activist for the Yes! For Poland political movement, becoming its regional leader in the Opole Voivodeship.[15] In September 2025, he became a member of the executive board of the New Poland party, which filed for registration that same month.[16] In the summer of 2026, he exited New Poland.[17]
He was appointed to the supervisory boards of the following local government companies: Silesian Railways, Energetyka Cieplna in Kępno, Energetyka Cieplna Opolszczyzny, and Przedsiębiorstwo Wodociągów i Kanalizacji in Brzeg.[18][19]
Awards
- Badge of Honor for Service to Local Government – 2025.[20]
Election history
| Year | Office | Committee | Votes | Result | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | |||||
| 2002 | Member of the Opole City Council | Electoral Committee of Ryszard Zembaczyński | 153 | 2.22 | Won[a] | [21] |
| 2006 | Civic Platform | 1094 | 16.38 | Won | [22] | |
| 2010 | 1159 | 15.47 | Won | [23] | ||
| 2014 | President of Opole | Electoral Committee of Arkadiusz Wiśniewski | 18201 | 67.66 | Won[b] | [7] |
| 2018 | 38285 | 70.35 | Won | [8] | ||
| 2024 | 33104 | 75.47 | Won | [9] | ||
Notes
- His electoral committee won enough votes for 3 seats in the district, while Wiśniewski finished 4th in his electoral committee list. This would not have been sufficient to win a seat; however, the list's toprunner, Ryszard Zembaczyński, became the President of Opole, thus leaving an extra seat and making Wiśniewski eligible.