They were looking for a woman in Eindhoven but chose a man: Jeroen Dijsselbloem will be installed as mayor of Eindhoven on Tuesday. The native of Eindhoven can count on a warm welcome from PSV supporters to ASML top. The new mayor himself is looking forward to the day when he can cycle to work ‘that seems wonderful’, but his Eindhoven dream home has yet to be found.
The successor of mayor John Jorritsma is a native of Eindhoven born and bred. He saw the light of day on March 29, 1966 in ‘his’ City of Light. Dijsselbloem returns to his homeland and where he lived for a large part of his childhood. His father worked at a secondary school in Eindhoven.
My Eindhoven
Earlier, during a virtual introduction to the city council, he said ‘that he is really looking forward to his new challenge’. “But I am most looking forward to being part of the community that is Eindhoven again. I will dedicate my heart and soul to the city, my Eindhoven.”
Dijsselbloem is the political heavyweight the confidential committee was looking for. The PvdA politician alone does not meet the wish for a woman. He has good ties with politics in The Hague and Brussels. For example, from 2012 to 2017 he was Minister of Finance in the Rutte II cabinet and chairman of the Eurogroup, the consultation between the Ministers of Finance.
our mother
Eindhoven will have a mayor who will soon cycle through the city. Someone who talks about ‘our mother’ and who will follow the matches in the PSV stadium. And meanwhile, he is appealing to his contacts in The Hague and Brussels to release millions for Brainport.
As a member of the House of Representatives, he was mainly concerned with the dossiers on taxation, migration and integration, education and youth care. “My 89-year-old mother said, ‘It’s going to be a woman. Forget it.’ She was gloomy about it. I said I was going to try it anyway because I really wanted to.” His goal is to stay for two terms, twelve years in total. “You need time to really get to know the city.”
Dream candidate
Dijsselbloem was one of 18 candidates, 7 women and 11 men, who applied for the position. In the end, the confidential committee conjured him up as the intended new mayor. “A dream candidate”, said Ruud van Acquoij chairman of the confidential committee.
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Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the political heavyweight Eindhoven was hoping for