Loud laughter fills the room when Greens state chairman Thomas von Sarnowski asks what great achievements of the CSU one still remembers. The heckling surpasses itself with their anecdotes about CSU breakdowns and their supposedly empty announcements. There is a good atmosphere in the hall – and that throughout the evening.
Angelika Obermayr, deputy district administrator and former mayor of Grafing, brings good news and great praise for the district association. The sometimes poor networking of the individual local branches in the past has improved significantly. And another reason to be happy: the district association is getting bigger and bigger. With more than 300 members in meanwhile twelve local associations, it is so large that a district manager had to be hired. Her name is Anne Rabea Gattinger, she is 28 years old and has been a member of the Green Youth and the Green district association since 2022. In her brief introduction, she is highly motivated and happy to take on this task.
Bavaria has a lot of potential for renewable energies, emphasizes the state chairman
Thomas von Sarnowski then talks about the current political situation. He shows his dissatisfaction with the postponement of the nuclear phase-out, for which the Ukraine war is no excuse. He emphasizes the importance of using geothermal, solar and wind power, for which he sees one of the states with the greatest potential in Bavaria. He pleads for the government to be more involved in the issue of integration, for example by expanding German courses – also to counteract the shortage of skilled workers. “It doesn’t happen by itself, if we don’t do anything, nothing will change,” says von Sarnowski. You have to invest in order to remain a top business location in the future. This is consistently well received by the audience. A unity that characterizes the whole evening.
Greens district parliament candidate Ottilie Eberl, state parliament candidate and state chairman Thomas von Sarnowski, Martha Maier, treasurer, the district association spokespersons Christoph Lochmüller and Sarah Onken and secretary Nici Augustin (from left).
(Photo: Christian Endt)
In a discussion that followed, von Sarnowski praised the decision of the Glonn local association to support an initiative that would like to bring the freedom to decide on speed limits to the municipalities. When the state chairman commented that this could perhaps be a role model for the other local branches, Christoph Lochmüller, spokesman for the district branch, replied jokingly that there weren’t even enough place-name signs for it – it’s easy to see a tip to the liberal coalition partner in Berlin.
A member suggests a citizens’ initiative for more wind turbines in the district. For example, not a single application for a new wind turbine was received in 2021. “The tide has now turned on this matter,” says von Sarnowski. The mood in the population is now definitely better and it will continue to be followed. According to the state chairman, new wind turbines are now four times as effective thanks to longer rotor blades. Another participant draws the attention of the meeting to the urgently needed support in the area of refugee aid in the district. “Anyone who knows someone who would like to help, we are urgently looking for more people.” However, one should keep in mind that a supported official visit can often last half a day, but that one absolutely has to help the refugees.
The expansion of the cycle paths announced by the CSU is criticized as insufficient
Another major issue is the sluggish expansion of cycle paths, also in the Ebersberg district. One laughs again at the promise of the Söder government to open up around 1500 kilometers of new cycle paths in Bavaria by 2030. That would correspond to only a few meters per community, so the tenor. If a cycle path of one or two kilometers is built in one community, other communities would have to get by without it. That, according to the tenor in the hall, would be done better in the event of an election victory.
Many district associations would like to see things go as smoothly as the elections for the members of the district board in Ebersberg. All ballots produce a unanimous result. Christoph Lochmüller remains spokesman for the district association. Angelika Obermayr, on the other hand, can no longer be put up – Sarah Onken now takes her place. The 42-year-old has been a member of the district board since 2011. She begins her inaugural speech with warm words. She thinks it’s nice that the Greens are a party trying to make the world a better place.
As the social evening draws to a close, the members express their anticipation of the state elections. Finally, quasi calling after those leaving, the state chairman von Sarnowski reminds them that they are urgently looking for lay judges for the courts and that the application requirements are also pleasantly low-threshold. Especially against the background that AfD members are increasingly looking for connections in such positions, it is all the more important to show commitment here.
This is the new district board of the Greens: Sarah Onken (spokesperson), Christoph Lochmüller (spokesperson), Nici Augustin (secretary), Martha Maier (treasurer), Christian Haindl (auditor). The eight assessors are: Jürgen Friedrichs, Waltraud Gruber, Traudi Höpfner, Angelika Obermayr, Adrian Kunze, Wolfgang Huber, Thomas Huber, Anja Wosch.