2023-12-04 16:34:30
It is a position of trust, non-partisan, and associated with honor. Who will succeed Günther Mitterer in the role of community association president?
One thing in advance: The debate about the successor to the “top mayor in the country,” as the president of the municipal association is called, has recently lost momentum.
Why? The interest group itself decided to change its statutes in October: the period within which a successor to the president must be elected will be extended from the current six months to a full year. This means: the local council elections will take place on March 10, 2024, and a new boss must be in place by March 2025 at the latest – as is well known, Günther Mitterer is no longer running as mayor of St. Johann.
Bergheim’s local boss is considered a “hot potato”
Nobody currently wants to position themselves as a potential successor. But that doesn’t mean that political observers don’t still indulge in personnel speculation. Bergheim Mayor Robert Bukovc (ÖVP) is considered one of the hot potato for the office, even though he not only heads a community of 5,000 people in Bergheim, but also practices his day job as a lawyer.
Wolfgang Wagner from Köstendorf (he is now Mitterer’s deputy), the mayor of Neumarkt Adi Rieger (both ÖVP) or the Grödig local boss Herbert Schober, who is notable for his innovative style, are also circulating as possible candidates. The latter only has the shortcoming of not being more party-affiliated with the current president. Schober is running as a non-party member in a list with the ÖVP.
Not an acute case yet, but the rumor mill is churning
The incumbent Goldegg local boss and ÖVP district chairman Hannes Rainer (ÖVP) is also extremely active, as is his Pfarrwerfen colleague Bernhard Weiß, who is also chairman of the mayors’ conference in Pongau – although the question arises as to whether there will be another candidate after Mitterer, a candidate from a mountain region comes into play.
A feeling for the concerns of the communities is required
What is required is a feeling for the concerns of the communities, which can vary greatly depending on size and location. It is important to advise and support them in their diverse tasks – also with regard to national changes in the law such as the reorganization of child care. The community association is so important because it tries to reconcile local political concerns with those of federal and state politics.
The new one has to have an eye for the whole thing
The boss must have an eye for the bigger picture and be able to take the other 117 mayors with him. “It is a task that is unique in the state and is associated with incredible creative power,” says Martin Huber, someone who should know.
As managing director of the community association and has been employed there for over 30 years, he calls the office of president a position of trust. While political observers are of the opinion that not many will “go for it,” Huber believes that at the end of the day someone good will be found. The fact that, according to Mitterer, the mayors will also receive a “noticeable salary increase” at the turn of the year may contribute a little.
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