Councilor Rik van Niejenhuis has been nominated by the Labor Party in Groningen as second alderman candidate. Should the party supply two aldermen in the new council, he will succeed current alderman for Housing Roeland van der Schaaf. Party leader Carine Bloemhoff is the other candidate for alderman.
In addition to his council work for the PvdA, Van Niejenhuis is currently director of the Groningen villages and also fulfills the role of deputy chairman in the Groningen city council. He is pleased with his appointment as a candidate for alderman: ‘I feel honoured. The news has yet to sink in. A month ago I would never have dreamed that I would be nominated as a second alderman candidate to possibly take a seat next to Carine in a new municipal council.’
Van Niejenhuis takes over from Roeland van der Schaaf. Last month it was announced that the PvdA alderman for Housing will not be standing as a candidate for another term after 10 years as an alderman. He has been nominated as dike warden of the Noorderzijlvest water board. Party leader Bloemhoff thinks he has a strong successor in Van Niejenhuis: ‘As a councilor and deputy chairman of the council, Rik has shown that he has the qualities that are important for an alderman.’