I wonder if I’m really such a great pioneer. I like to try new things and also try to take new or different paths. I’m not alone in this either; many solutions arise through constructive discussions in the municipal council or with the administration. Ultimately, even in a small municipality, it’s about handling the tasks at hand as efficiently as possible with the available resources.

Currently, the expansion of the school facilities and the revision of the waste regulations are on the agenda. The question arises how to gather as many opinions as possible from the population to create the greatest benefit for the village. The challenge is that many people do not publicly express their opinions. The municipal council’s approach was to collect the views of these people through a low-threshold offering. We succeeded in doing so with BrainE4.

For me, like the municipality, it is more of an opportunity. I have to take things as they come. Sometimes I do wonder if all this really has to happen now. But I still can’t change it. I can only try to make the best out of the situation. It is also an opportunity to grow, both as an individual and as a team.

During the Corona period, for example, we tried to hold as many events as possible while of course complying with the federal regulations. This was mostly positively received by the population.

You can also prepare for certain scenarios without immediately painting the worst-case picture. For example, we have always procured energy for Elektra in instalments. This has saved us from having to buy electricity at exorbitant prices and pass these costs on to the residents of the municipality. Today, this approach is legally required.

«Pleasing everyone is an art that no one can master.» You have to be able to deal with that. Most people are also aware of this and accept that as mayor, you don’t necessarily have to share their opinion. But it is important to have the right arguments. That is one thing.

The other thing is: You have to constantly broaden your own horizons and look beyond your own backyard. For example, how are tasks solved in other municipalities? This only works if you exchange ideas with other municipal council members or people living in those communities. Professionally, as an engineer, I am also innovative and used to looking for simple, functional solutions.

Decision-making in a municipality is strictly regulated by law. However, the path from the idea and the need to the proposal is flexible. With the possibilities offered by BrainE4, we can try to reach people better and obtain a broadly supported picture of what the people think and what moves them.

At information events, you only hear from those who dare to speak up. The others remain quiet or talk behind the scenes. That can be frustrating at times. But since we cannot (and do not want to) change people, we have to ensure that we find out what concerns the people in the village through other means.

There are too many regulations that already slow down innovation before you even get to try something. It’s incredible how much paperwork you have to do to prove that something really helps us move forward.

In other words: nowadays, no one wants to take responsibility anymore. Everyone wants to hide. In this game of hide-and-seek, there are more and more documents that have to be filled out — so that everyone can cover themselves completely. This prevents people from saying, «Let’s get started and accept the risk of failure.» That annoys me.

It’s not easy. But at the level where I have influence, we did it. We significantly simplified processes, shifted competencies, and defined responsibilities. Of course, legal requirements had to be met.

As a result, significantly fewer matters now go through the municipal council. This relieves the council on the one hand and the administration, which has to prepare and follow up on these matters, on the other.

Today, the municipal council has time for its core tasks and is no longer involved in day-to-day operations. The administration, on the other hand, received significantly more competencies. Resistance to change was great at the beginning, and resources were scarce. But with every small step, successes were recorded. Today, no one wants to return to the old, historically grown system.