The new mayor of Laren comes from a Polish-Dutch background. His mother is from Poland and his father is Dutch. Van Rijn has lived in both countries and that has shaped him in a certain way. He also takes these lessons with him as a mayor.
“I have experienced the freedom of the West, but also the oppression of communism. If you get that from your early years, it also means how you look at people with respect, what freedom means, what justice is. These are, I think, also elements that will help me as mayor in this role.”
Eating pancakes
Laren is not an unknown place for Van Rijn. He already knows the community quite well. He has been to the Singer Theater several times, he has eaten poffertjes at the Brink, he has visited Winter Village and went shopping and out for dinner.
Van Rijn will be sworn in as mayor on Monday, February 16, although the Minister of the Interior must still officially agree to Laren’s nomination. That’s actually a formality.
Official residence
Then he will move to the village with his wife and their cat. The couple does not have to look for a home themselves, because the municipality provides an official residence.
In addition to his work, the Laarders will see him on the tennis court, because Van Rijn is an ‘avid tennis player’. He also enjoys walking in nature and occasionally runs. “I’m never really bored,” he says with a smile.