In Hirschberg, Thuringia, the mayor did not run for election. Because no one was a candidate, voters were able to write their preferred names on the ballot paper. Two men now have to go into the runoff election.
It is July 18, 1983: Helmut Kohl has been at the head of the government in the Federal Republic for a year. In the small town of Hirschberg in the GDR, right on the inner-German border, Rüdiger Wohl becomes the full-time deputy mayor on this day. He remains in this position until the fall of the Berlin Wall, when he becomes mayor. Full-time for 22 years, and as a volunteer since 2012.
After more than 40 years as deputy and head of the town hall, the Wohl era in Hirschberg will end on June 30th. The long-term mayor is retiring. But finding a successor is extremely difficult. In the first round of voting, the 1,743 eligible voters were greeted with a blank ballot – no one had applied for office.
Why doesn’t anyone want to become mayor?
A small baroque castle towers over Hirschberg, there is a kindergarten, a regular school and an outdoor swimming pool. Fire brigade, carnival and sports – social life here is mainly supported by clubs in which many residents are active on a voluntary basis.
The man with the highest honorary office sits in the Hirschberg town hall. A municipality in Thuringia can only decide whether it wants to afford a better-paid full-time official if it has 3,000 inhabitants or more. Around 2,100 people live in Hirschfeld.
Lots of responsibility, little money
Wohl, who is not a party member, receives people in his office at the town hall, which he shares with his administrative manager. The lines of communication should be as short as possible. Why does no one want to be his successor? Wohl gets straight to the point: It’s all about money.
The mayor of a town with 2,001 to 3,000 inhabitants in Thuringia receives exactly 1,623 euros in expenses per month. Gross, of course. After taxes and social security contributions, there is not much left. It is a voluntary position, a leisure activity, so to speak.
After more than 40 years, Rüdiger Wohl, long-term mayor of Hirschberg, is retiring.
But Hirschberg is not a shooting club – the mayor here is the boss of almost 20 employees. Wohl says that there are hardly any other differences to the tasks of a full-time mayor: “The same tasks are there and you have the same responsibilities. You are mayor 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, regardless of whether there is a fire or flood somewhere at Christmas.”
It’s actually almost impossible to be a professional and a volunteer mayor on the side. Lots of responsibility, little money – not a job for everyone. The fact that Wohl was still able to hold the office on a voluntary basis is due to the almost 30 years in which he was a full-time mayor or vice mayor.
In return, Hirschberger receives a pension that allows him to live comfortably. It also gave him enough time for official business. Wohl knows that this is a special situation: “I always joked that I get money for doing nothing and that my work is not paid for.”
Forced into the runoff election
But now it’s time to stop working. Wohl has plans for retirement: looking after children on vacation, spending more time with the family, cycling and tidying up the garden.
On May 26, the 1,081 voters in Hirschberg almost messed up Wohl’s plans. They were allowed to write their preferred candidate on the ballot paper – regardless of whether he wanted to or not. During the count, Wohl was in second place for a long time, and was only overtaken at the end.
Lucky for him, there will be a run-off election between the two top candidates on June 9. They are not allowed to back out, but they can give up after the election: the winner then has one week to decide for or against the position.
Local politician versus administrative professional
Now Ronald Schricker and Benjamin Lill must compete against each other as candidates. Lill has been a member of the Hirschberg city council for years and is the honorary first deputy mayor.
Schricker is the full-time city council member responsible for culture. If Schricker wins, he would have to give up the job. A mayor cannot also be a city employee. It is unclear whether either of them would accept the position: Both declined a request for an interview.
Rüdiger Wohl hopes that the election winner will accept the office. If he declines, the newly elected Hirschberg City Council would have to elect a new First Deputy Mayor who would take on the role on an interim basis – on a voluntary basis, of course.
A new mayoral election would then have to be organized within three months. The rules would be the same. If no one runs, names can be written on the ballot paper again.
An election marathon without results would be fatal for the small town: Under the previous mayor, decisive decisions had been made for the future of Hirschberg in recent years. Development concepts were drawn up in order to be able to apply for funding. For example, the flood protection on the Saale must be renewed. Complex plans that mean a lot of work – and the financial situation is poor. Hardly feasible as a voluntary after-work activity.
In Bavaria, the small communities are freer
A look a few kilometers further shows that things can be done differently. In Bavaria, the requirement for a full-time office is 2,500 residents and is less rigid. Even with fewer residents, the local and city councils can decide on a full-time employee.
The neighboring Bavarian municipality of Berg has a good 100 fewer residents than Hirschberg, but a full-time mayor. Wohl says that in Berg there is a lack of understanding “that the colleague in the east here in Thuringia does this on a voluntary basis.”
Changing federal states or merging as a way out?
A move by Hirschberg to Bavaria would be far too complicated. A more realistic option would be a merger with the neighboring Thuringian communities of Gefell and Tanna. There were discussions, but no solution: the three small towns are not allowed to form an administrative community, a form of cooperation between independent communities in Thuringia – the Free State opposed this.
A merger to form a large unified municipality failed: there were too many different opinions and goals. Permanent mayor Wohl says it is also difficult to win over the citizens: “Political independence is important to people.”
The runoff election on Sunday will be a mayoral election unlike any other in Hirschberg. After all, Rüdiger Wohl did not have a single opponent during his entire term in office.