Artūras Visockas (; born 19 January 1968) is a businessman, athlete, who is currently serving as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Šiauliai city since 2015, political and

public figure A public figure is a person who has achieved fame, prominence or notoriety within a society, whether through achievement, luck, action, or in some cases through no purposeful action of their own. In the context of defamation actions (libel and ...

of Lithuania and Šiauliai city municipality.

Education and early career

Visockas graduated from Šiaulių 10-oji Vidurinė Mokykla in 1986 and later obtained a degree from the Šiaulių Pedagoginis Institutas in 1993. From 2004 to 2015, he served as the director of "Foto202," a photography business.

Political career

Visockas began his political career in 2011, running as an

independent candidate An independent politician or non-affiliated politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have polit ...

for the Šiauliai City Municipality Council. He received 2,718 votes and secured a seat on the council. In 2015, he was elected Mayor of Šiauliai, a position he has held since, being re-elected in 2023 for a third term.

Sporting achievements

An avid orienteering sports enthusiast, Visockas founded the Orienteering Club "Sakas" and was an active member until 2013. He has been a member of the "Igtisa" sports club since 2014 and has won numerous orienteering competitions. A dedicated community organizer, Visockas was one of the initiators of the "Darom" environmental cleanup campaigns. Before becoming mayor, he personally funded the maintenance of public spaces such as Salduvės Park, the shores of Talkša Lake, and the central city park of Šiauliai.

Awards

* 2005: Winner of the "Lietuvos Garbė" ("Honor of Lithuania") award in the "Neighbor of the Year" category by TV3 News. * 2006: Recipient of the "Gerumo Sparnas" ("Wing of Kindness") award during the LNK charity telethon "Gerumo Diena" for supporting children in foster care. * 2011: Named the "Most Popular Šiauliai Resident of 2011" by readers of the newspaper ''Šiaulių Naujienos''.

References

{{Reflist Living people 1968 births Mayors of places in Lithuania Independent politicians in Lithuania Lithuanian businesspeople Vilnius University alumni People from Šiauliai