The handover ceremony took place between Yağmur, who did not participate in the Local Administrations General Elections due to his age, and the new muhtar Kılıç. The ceremony was attended by Bağcılar Mayor Abdullah Özdemir and many citizens. Mayor Özdemir thanked the former muhtar and presented the muhtar’s certificate of office to Kılıç. In his speech, former muhtar Yağmur expressed his feelings of being like a family with the residents of the neighborhood where he served for 39 years.
After retiring from a printing house in Sultanahmet and traveling for 5 years, Yağmur said that his wife started complaining about her feet hurting. He then decided to become a muhtar and improve the village with 150 households where there was no water, electricity, or school. Yağmur mentioned his good relationship with bureaucracy and his skills in winning people over and getting things done. He also emphasized his generosity in providing for the community, such as building 7 schools in the area.
Yağmur recalled the improvements they made in the streets of Güneşli Mahallesi by laying asphalt. He mentioned that when they were still under Bakırköy, there were 125 muhtars and he revived the area. He talked about watching children grow up, get married, and having a close relationship with them since they were young. Yağmur highlighted his way of charming children by giving chocolate to girls and not giving anything to boys when they approached him as kids.
Yağmur wished the new muhtar success in his endeavors and stressed that hard work is necessary to be successful in the role. The newly appointed Kılıç expressed his happiness in taking over the responsibilities. He acknowledged Yağmur as the founding muhtar of the neighborhood and stated that they did not compete but rather became a candidate only after Atik Amca stepped down.
Bağcılar Mayor Özdemir honored former muhtar Yağmur whom he knew and emphasized the importance of muhtar in being the direct bridge between the citizens and democracy. He described the muhtar as someone who is deeply loved and respected by the people of the neighborhood. After a prayer was offered, the muhtarship office was officially handed over to Kılıç at the end of the ceremony.
