Almost half the cabinet appeared 50 years ago in Munich-Schwabing. At that time, the Bavarian Municipal Association had opened its office, Prime Minister Alfons Goppel came, as did the Interior Minister, the Finance Minister, and two state secretaries – an impressive five representatives of the state government at the same time. The community council, the mouthpiece of the more than 2,000 towns, markets and communities belonging to the district, fished the guest list from 1974 from the archive. Hans-Peter Mayer, director and executive member of the executive board since March, recently wrote about this in the association’s magazine: This is an “appreciation” that communities no longer experience in this form, albeit in faster-moving times.
Mayer mentioned the once so lavish beguiling again at his inauguration in the Senate chamber of the state parliament. Interior State Secretary Sandro Kirchner (CSU) was present on behalf of the state government, who praised the municipalities as a resilient foundation for the country’s development. Mayer’s speech, however, was not just about praising the state government. Taking time and asking “where’s the problem” – that has become less common. And in the timing of legislation, the consultation of the communities is often too quick and not even worthy of its name.
Now it is clear that interest groups cannot always get everything done in a state structure. There are usually a lot of demands and in the end there is somehow an agreement so that everyone can save face. However, Mayer suggested that the mood is not too rosy at the moment.
Example money. Statistically there is record income, recently anchored in the municipal financial equalization. But: “The problem is the spending,” and what is needed is an honest discussion at all political levels about what the state’s tasks are and what is no longer possible. Or reducing bureaucracy, as Prime Minister Markus Söder wants to promote. In doing so, the Free State is “opening our doors”, but this time it has to be taken seriously. Overall, you have to “get away from small-scale” and have the courage to trust local self-government. In fact, the CSU often thinks: Don’t have too much leeway, “otherwise they’ll build a lot of concert halls.”
At the reception afterwards, Mayer’s warning was well received by the community family. The fact that the phrase that the state government and municipalities are “partners on equal terms” is so popular in state politics caused almost amusement in conversations. People spoke quite freely, the State Secretary was already gone.