Mayor Hans Ouwerkerk of Groningen announces his farewell in the town hall. He is flanked by deputy mayor Willem Smink (l) and municipal clerk Arie Wink. Photo: Archive Jan Zeeman
It is the evening of January 28, 1998. The council chamber of the Groningen city hall is a media circus. National camera crews crowd the door. Photographers fight for the most favorable positions. The Grote Markt is the center of the Netherlands for a while. Everyone wants to know if Hans Ouwerkerk is still mayor of Groningen after this evening.