Who discovered Sinem Dedetaş? 'I received a phone call after the 2019 elections...'

Sinem Dedetaş, the first female mayor of Üsküdar from the CHP, who became one of the most curious figures following the 2024 local elections, spoke to İpek Özbey about the questions surrounding her.

Dedetaş, a naval architect, explained how she started her career at the İBB and what she plans to do for Üsküdar.

The full interview is as follows:

"I LIVED IN ESKİŞEHİR UNTIL I CAME TO ISTANBUL"

- When, where, and into what kind of family were you born?

I was born in Eskişehir in 1981. I grew up in a disciplined and organized family, so these traits rubbed off on me. I also have a sister. There is a 10-year age gap between us. Because my mother and father worked, and I grew up as an only child for 10 years, perhaps I became a child who was always self-sufficient. Whatever my family put in front of me—books, notebooks—I would read, write, and draw. At the same time, I didn't neglect to create playful, fun activities, of course. Looking back now, I really had a very beautiful childhood. I lived in Eskişehir until I came to Istanbul for my university education.

"I'M GLAD MY FATHER SET THAT GOAL"

- Was becoming a naval architect your dream? Do you remember the moment you first decided?

There are actually no sailors in the family. My father had set a condition: if I were to study outside the city, I had to get into METU, ITU, or Boğaziçi. I'm glad he set that goal. Water and the sea were always areas I loved and was interested in. I was also a licensed swimmer. Since I was also inclined toward engineering, I combined the two. When my scores came in, my first choice was naval architecture and marine engineering, and I got into my first choice. I started studying at ITU in '99. I had a university life that I loved very much and spent to the fullest. I was always a successful and studious student. During my university years, we founded the Ship and Marine Club, and I also started playing the cello.

HALİÇ SHIPYARD INCIDENTS

- Is it true that you were once banned from entering the Haliç Shipyard?

Actually, it's like this: I wasn't banned as Sinem. Access to the shipyard was stopped in general. I say that specifically so there is no misunderstanding; shipyards are not areas you can enter easily because they are heavy industrial zones. But because privatization was on the agenda at that time, they had stopped authorized entries as well. Since I was the president of the Chamber of Naval Architects at that time, we could technically enter with authorization, but they didn't want what was happening inside to be shown. Later, when I was appointed as the General Manager of City Lines (Şehir Hatları), being an executive and coming there allowed us to do great things.

WHO DISCOVERED DEDETAŞ?

- How did they discover you?

After the 2019 elections, I received a phone call from the Metropolitan Municipality's human resources department; it was an interview invitation. I was very excited, of course.

MERIT-BASED RECRUITMENT

- Did you know İmamoğlu beforehand?

No, we didn't have any prior acquaintance. It was a completely merit-based recruitment process. They found me through what we did at the Chamber of Naval Architects and our work, and they deemed me suitable for this task. It was a great excitement and pride for me. When we took office in 2019, one of our first actions was to save the Haliç Shipyard. It had been rendered idle as part of a project to turn it into a science center. With the support of our Mayor İmamoğlu, we transformed it into a structure that would create added value, as it is both a cultural heritage site and the last remaining public shipyard. It was a very exciting process; together with my team, we achieved great things at the shipyard.

"WE SIGNED PROJECTS THAT PROTECT OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE"

- Let's talk about those great things…

We reactivated the historic Haliç Shipyard, whose foundations were laid by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1455, while it was in an idle state, and turned it into the oldest living and producing shipyard in the world. In our shipyard, which started production again, we signed projects that both create added value and protect our industrial and cultural heritage, ranging from maintenance and repair to new constructions, and from Sea Taxis to restoration works.

- The production capacity was zero, right?

Yes, but in 4.5 years, we built 56 new vessels and increased the shipyard's turnover from 1 million TL to over 160 million TL. Between 2019 and 2023, when we served at City Lines, we did a lot of work to revitalize sea transportation. We increased the number of ferries in our fleet to 30. We raised the number of daily voyages from 700 to 891 and the number of lines from 20 to 31. We added new stops to our 8 lines. We increased weekend voyages and started night voyages. As a result of all these improvement efforts, we achieved a 55 percent increase in sea transportation.

"WE TOOK STEPS TO MAKE MARITIME A SECTOR THAT IS NO LONGER MALE-DOMINATED"

- As far as I follow, you also brought equal opportunity to the shipyard?

Yes, for the first time in the history of City Lines, we provided employment opportunities for female sailors, oilers, and captains. We employed 21 women on ships and Sea Taxis. By providing job opportunities to a total of 62 female employees, we increased female employment at City Lines by 295 percent. With all these developments, we took steps to make maritime a sector that is no longer male-dominated.

"WE SAVED 7.5 MILLION EUROS"

- I am a former resident of Heybeliada. Ferries are very important to us. The Paşabahçe Ferry is one of them, and you saved it from disappearing.

It is one of Istanbul's famous ferries; it has a 72-year history, and we saved the Paşabahçe Ferry from disappearing and restored it at the Haliç Shipyard, bringing it back to our cultural heritage. We also saved the Kızıltoprak, another iconic ferry of Istanbul, from being scrapped in Trabzon, brought it to our shipyard, and restored it. Our renewed nostalgic ferry has been serving Istanbulites since April 2023. The İsmail Hakkı Durusu ferry, which is currently undergoing restoration, will also meet the sea in the first quarter of 2024. In our shipyard, we performed maintenance and repair work on a total of 358 ships in 4 years, ranging from foreign-flagged ships to mega yachts, and from international cargo ships to City Lines ferries. By having City Lines ships undergo maintenance and repair at the Haliç Shipyard instead of going to other shipyards, we prevented a large expense. In addition, we produced 50 Sea Taxis, 5 of which are electric hybrids, at the Haliç Shipyard. We established the Vapur Kafe brand with the motto "The cheapest and most beautiful tea is drunk on the ferry," and they serve at 32 locations. We produced 50 Sea Taxis, 5 of which are electric hybrids, at the Haliç Shipyard and put them at the service of Istanbulites 24/7, saving the İBB approximately 7.5 million Euros.

"I HAVE A DREAM OF AN ÜSKÜDAR WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE HAPPY"

- You became the mayor of Üsküdar, which was managed by the AKP. I would like to talk about your plans.

Üsküdar is one of the most ancient districts of Istanbul. It is one of our neighborhoods that reflects the spirit of old Istanbul most strongly. It is a cosmopolitan place. At the same time, it bears the traces of strong female figures and sultans. In this respect, I find the values that Üsküdar preserves very precious. We will protect these values and carry them into the future. While Üsküdar stands out in this regard, it is actually a very contemporary and dynamic district on the other hand. It has a very strong potential. We want to bring out this potential in a better way. I love that Üsküdar hosts different identities and melts them in the same pot. I dream of an Üsküdar that has one foot in the past and one foot in the future, taking steps into the future by drawing strength from the past, renewing itself without getting old. We will build a dynamic Üsküdar that reflects the unique spirit of Old Istanbul on one hand, and winks at youth and the future with its qualified festivals and events on the other. I have a dream of an Üsküdar that has solved its zoning problems, has undergone earthquake-resistant urban transformation, is respectful to its cultural heritage, is intertwined with art, and where the elderly are peaceful and the young are happy with its social and green spaces.

RESPONSE TO "NEW KADIKÖY" CLAIMS

- Have you seen the comments saying 'Üsküdar will be the new Kadıköy'?

Üsküdar is a district that hosts neighbors of many understandings, views, and lifestyles. We don't look at it as religious, conservative, right-wing, or left-wing. We want to embrace everyone. Citizens already want to see working, executive managers who bring equal service, especially in municipal administration. We have already experienced the populist, non-polarizing city management in the metropolitan municipality, and we have seen great benefits from it. We stand against polarization. We want to exhibit an equal rights-based management that prioritizes neighborly and civic relations. We know that peace, happiness, and actually success come from being together.