After the Romanian takeover of Transylvania on December 1, 1918, a Romanian had to become mayor of the city, which was almost exclusively inhabited by Hungarians. Emil Dandea (1893 to 1969) assumed this role in 1922. He began to change the character of the city in line with the wishes of his party, the National Revival Front, and to modernize the municipality. At the same time, his name is associated with allegations of corruption and manifestations of national intolerance. Dandea, who was also a member of the Romanian Parliament, was arrested in 1952 and sent to a forced labor camp. The bronze statue of the controversial mayor was created by Anton Rațiu and unveiled in 1996.