Several mayors have left the province recently. The beloved mayor Melis van de Groep in Bunschoten resigned in August, Sjoerd Potters said goodbye to De Bilt last week. Next year Victor Molkenboer (Woerden) and Gilbert Isabella (Houten) will also pass on the baton.
That’s pure coincidence. “I don’t have the feeling that it is any different,” says Hilda Westera, director of the Dutch Society of Mayors. On average, mayors stay for about six years, she says. That is a term of office, Van Domburg is now halfway through his second term. “That’s super neat,” says Westera. “It’s not an office for life.”
Residents generally find it a shame when a mayor resigns, she says. “Because it’s a familiar face.”
This year, 56 new mayors were appointed in the Netherlands. This includes acting mayors, a temporary replacement until a permanent mayor is found.