The Oss city council nominated Froukje de Jonge (59) on Wednesday evening as the new mayor of the city. Although she has been an alderman in Almere since 2014, the new first citizen of Oss is a real Brabantse. She was born in Eindhoven.
With Froukje de Jonge, Oss again gets an experienced driver at the helm. Wobine Buijs-Glaudemans was the mayor of the city since 2011. Last June she unexpectedly announced that she will not finish her third term.
Profile
Because of the early announcement, Buijs wanted to give the confidential committee the space to find a good successor. In total, twelve people applied for the mayor of Oss. They had to meet a solid wish list.
The new first citizen of Oss had to be a connector who also lives in the city itself. Someone who can network is also asked and who already has the necessary experience in the municipal administration.
Experienced
The young can check that up. For example, during her period as alderman for Zorg, Youth, Education, Housing and Welfare in Almere, she had been acting mayor in Stadskanaal for two years.
She is married and has five children. De Jonge studied law in Nijmegen. Then she worked at the Almere Flevo Hospital. First as a corporate lawyer, then as head of the Management Support and Secretary of the Board of Directors and finally as Department Director Concernstaf. So she brings a lot of board experience to Oss.
Sworn
Froukje de Jong is not yet officially mayor of Oss, although after her lecture that is normally only a formality. The Minister of the Interior handles the council’s recommendation in the Council of Ministers.
If the Council of Ministers approves the nomination, the minister nominates the candidate to the king. He then decides last about the appointment of the new mayor. But it almost never happens that he does not give approval. The planning is that Froukje de Jonge is sworn in for the summer recess, somewhere in May.