The people of Thessaloniki are full of energy and innovative ideas – they’ve shown they can thrive in straitened times but I think a Grexit would be a catastrophe. This is Greece’s biggest student city – there are four universities. We’ve tried to create opportunities for these young people so that, alongside the city’s ancient monuments, we have fresh new businesses emerging.

The way and rhythm of life is different to other cities. We have an expression, Halara, which means “take it as it comes”. It’s slower, more relaxed, people say good morning to each other, and you don’t have to have a plan. You can simply walk around, take in the sights and stop for excellent food.

I think it’s important not to let cities become museums. Each new generation must be allowed to leave its own imprint. Street art is an exuberant contemporary expression of human interests, and I’ve tried to ensure it flourishes here. There’s a huge mural on the wall of a building at the eastern end of Tsimiski Street, which shows a bird with chains for tail feathers rising above a pensive-looking woman. It was commissioned in 2012 to mark the 100th anniversary of the liberation of the city from Ottoman rule.

Thessalonians have lived through numerous invasions and natural disasters. The city’s history makes for a cosmopolitan atmosphere – it has been part of the Hellenic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires. At the beginning of the last century it was known as the “Jerusalem of the Balkans”, but nearly all of its 56,000 Jews were sent to concentration camps in the second world war. We plan to build a Holocaust memorial centre at the railway station.

Thessaloniki is Greece’s second city, but it is first for gastronomy. The surrounding area is very fertile and the sea is on our doorstep, so the combination of fresh local produce and a new generation of chefs makes it a wonderful place to eat. Ouzeri Aristotelous is a favourite of mine: it’s tucked away in a quiet courtyard, just off the huge Aristotelous Square (the biggest in Greece), and has a very good menu. I like the Greek meze, where you order five or six different meats or fish and share them with friends.

I’m an alcoholic and have been sober for 24 years. But, although I don’t drink any more, I still like the atmosphere of bars such as Zucca. The DJs don’t just play music; they create an atmosphere, one full of energy and life.

Thessaloniki is at the centre of the booming Greek wine business. I’ve worked for my family’s wine business all my life and now run it with my children. All the biggest companies are based here and we’ve established wine routes to vineyards in the regions. The best wines can be found in this part of northern Greece.

I would like to ban cars from the centre of the city. Greeks are very wedded to their vehicles, so it’s not an easy plan to execute, but we’ve started with traffic-free Sundays beside the promenade in summer. I want to be remembered as the mayor who freed the city from the occupation of the car.

I love strolling around the old town. One of my favourite places is the 14th-century Byzantine Church of Saint Nicholas the Orphan, just inside the eastern wall. It has beautiful frescoes and an enormous sense of the past. It’s easy to imagine just how many lives it has touched. It’s a very humbling place, and reminds you that we are passing through, only ever a very small part of a much bigger picture.