As an Amsterdammer you can of course vote in a gym nearby, but you can also cycle south for an hour along the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal and cast your vote in the newest suburb of the capital: the historic fortified town of Weesp. After almost 700 years, the elegant town on the Vecht, with its drawbridges and stately mansions, has lost its independence. The more than 20,000 orphans voted for the Amsterdam city council for the first time this time.
‘It is sad’, says a 61-year-old resident who would rather have seen a connection with more chic neighboring municipalities such as Bussum and Naarden. That is why this year he no longer votes for the Weesper Stads Party, usually the largest in town. ‘They have extradited us to Amsterdam!’ A 72-year-old lady votes CDA. ‘They want Weesp to stay, Weesp.’ A 35-year-old newcomer – with an electric cargo bike – chooses D66. ‘I live here because there is no more room in Amsterdam.’ A 41-year-old general practitioner who worked in Amsterdam votes GroenLinks. ‘I just follow the Kieswijzer.’ The impression after a round of voting offices: many Weespers understand that they are being swallowed up, but hold their breath.
The Acting Mayor
‘It could not be otherwise,’ says acting mayor Bas Jan van Bochove. He is the last of the long line of city officials who hang in dark wooden frames on the wall of the neo-classical town hall. His study combines gold leaf with a walnut cabinet from the 17th century and a black marble fireplace from 1700. According to Van Bochove, Weesp has been discussing a merger for decades; in 2018, 57 percent of the inhabitants voted for incorporation into Amsterdam. Municipal tasks such as spatial planning, youth care, enforcement, poverty reduction and education require specialist knowledge that is logically lacking in Weesp, says the mayor.
To illustrate, he counts on his fingers. ‘We employ two lawyers who have to answer all questions: from building permits to law enforcement. And we have one civil servant who does both primary and secondary education.’ According to him, much more knowledge and expertise is available at the city hall in Amsterdam. ‘I expect the administrative quality in Weesp to improve. Just like the financial strength and the quality of the service.’ In Weesp, three elected directors remain responsible for practical matters.
The year 1355
The end of independence is hard on many Weespers. As if they themselves were there when the Count of Holland granted them a city privilege in 1355. One of the last motions of the last city council: an urgent appeal to their new mayor Femke Halsema to avoid the word Amsterdammer from now on. Because after March 23, the official transfer date, the capital of the Netherlands will consist of two cities: Amsterdam and Weesp. Van Bochove: ‘Amsterdammers and Weespers will now live in Amsterdam.’
In the short term, the residents will not notice much of the incorporation, no matter what they vote. Or it must be that contact with the municipality becomes more distant; until Wednesday they simply pulled the mayor or an alderman on his jacket on the Oudegracht or in the Slijkstraat at the famous Nelis’ Ice Cream Parlor (since 1898). The real estate tax is falling, that is, and the minimum wages are improving and they are also getting a city pass. Other taxes, such as for waste and boat ownership, are rising. The Weespers had Amsterdam sign a list of fourteen core values, which includes wishes such as: we cherish the water and open landscape around Weesp; we want more affordable housing; We want to keep shops, healthcare institutions, schools, sports fields, swimming pool, library, theater and museum.
Fear of wind turbines
The most famous resident of Weesp, biologist and writer Midas Dekkers, is not reassured about this. He bought the former town hall of Weesperkarspel 25 years ago, a monumental building with a view over the Vecht, because the town reminded him of Amsterdam from his youth. ‘I think it’s terrible what is happening now’, says Dekkers. ‘The mouse has asked the cat for protection. Then you know what’s going to happen.’ Dekkers fears that Amsterdam will build high-rise buildings and giant wind turbines around Weesp. “There goes the last blade of grass.”
The 75-year-old Dekkers prefers to be in Overijssel this week, where, according to him, the gentrification has not yet penetrated. A new neighborhood with retro-style family homes is being built in Weesp, where another 10,000 residents will settle, mostly wealthy Amsterdammers with their children in a cargo bike. ‘I thought we would be safe behind the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal’, but now I have to hide behind the IJssel!’ Dekkers accuses the last city administrators of having cunningly squandered his lovely town.
Fellow resident André Verheul, former editor-in-chief of the WeesperNews, believes that the merger process did take place with sufficient participation. ‘Otherwise the parties would have been punished in previous elections.’ According to him, most residents are sad that their city is being annexed, but they understand that independence is no longer an option. ‘Amsterdam will now have a river, two fortresses, three mills and an extensive meadow area that extends to the Naardermeer and the Ankeveense Plassen.’ According to Verheul, if Amsterdam is going to build high-rise buildings and wind turbines there, this will clash with the previously agreed core values of the merger.
According to him, the newcomers on their cargo bikes also breathe new life into Weesp. He points to a new concept store and a new gift shop. ‘They are often also creative types and cultural entrepreneurs who bring new ideas to the sports club or at events.’ What threatens to fall into the water immediately, says Verheul, is the annual highlight of the Weesper festival calendar: the three-day Sluis and Bridges festival at the end of the summer. According to him, the organizing committee received a bill for the permit of 12,500 euros. ‘That was always a few hundred euros.’
Free member of sports club
In the Hogewey district, next to the industrial estate, the less fortunate of Weesp live in eight-storey gallery flats. On a playground, 42-year-old Lidya Estifanos from Eritrea watches over her children swinging. ‘The merger with Amsterdam is good for everyone with a low income’, she thinks. She mentions neighbors with benefits as an example. ‘Their children were not allowed to join a sports club here for free; Amsterdam does offer that opportunity.’ Estifanos votes PvdA because of their fight against inequality.
In the Citizens’ Hall of the Weesper City Hall, once inspired by the Royal Palace on Dam Square, voters shuffle forward over white Carrara marble and black natural stone. Newcomers often vote for a national party for safety’s sake, experienced Weespers vote for the GP who quickly set up a corona test street in his garage or for the former owner of the ice cream shop who has promised that Weesp will remain himself. If you look up from your voting booth, you will discover a freedom hat in the stucco on the wall (slaves were not allowed to wear hats in classical antiquity) with a Latin proverb that was applied there 250 years ago: ‘Because we protect our golden freedom, we become prosperous.’