He became one of the faces of the corona crisis, but will mainly focus on his own city of Nijmegen again. Hubert Bruls is stepping down today as chairman of the Security Council.
When Bruls became chairman in 2018, few people knew about the existence of the consultative body. Four times a year, the group of 25 mayors met to discuss cooperation in areas such as aid, disaster relief and crisis management. That all changed in February 2020 when corona broke out.
Face of the crisis
Until then, his role as chairman was mainly an additional position, in addition to his job as mayor of Nijmegen. After that, as a representative of all security regions in the Netherlands, he became an important face of the crisis. “Suddenly I was chairman of a body that was in the news every day.” It was the start of a turbulent period.
The council acted as a link between national policymakers and regional enforcers, and advised the Outbreak Management Team. At the time of corona, the group met weekly and ministers regularly joined. “It was no longer just about policy, but also about concrete questions, such as how many people were allowed to attend a funeral.”
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I have tried to keep the peace and use clear language
Clear language
After such a meeting, it was Bruls who had to speak to the press. He received a lot of criticism, because not everyone always agreed with the announced measures. ,,I tried to keep the peace and to use clear language. Because that’s what I learned; be as clear as possible in a crisis and don’t say anything you can’t deliver. I think that worked out nicely. At least, that’s what I was told by many people. Even when I was on vacation.”
The 57-year-old director did not always agree with the decisions made by the OMT. After the strict lockdown in the winter of 2020 and the curfew in January 2021, the Security Council advocated an exit plan. Bruls went up the barricade to give people a dot on the horizon. A step-by-step plan to get out of lockdown. “Ultimately, the cabinet has made such a plan. I think we played an important role in that. As mayor you have close contacts in your own region and you know what the experiences, feelings and opinions are.”
New chairman
Today is the last meeting under the leadership of the CDA politician. Bruls could not be re-elected because he has completed his maximum term as chairman of the council. Wouter Kolff (VVD), mayor of Dordrecht, takes over from him and, together with his colleagues, examines another major theme: the reception of refugees. ,,I have every confidence in Wouter.”
Bruls may no longer be chairman after today, but he will remain a member of the Security Council. This gives him the opportunity to invest more time in his role as Nijmegen mayor. “That was the downside of corona. I couldn’t pick things up at the same level in my own region as I used to do. While there is still plenty of work to do. I feel like getting started with that.”
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