A busy job and then also spend hours reading documents and holding council meetings. Councilor Juliette Verbeek-Benink from Vaals is happy to talk about it. “With the municipal elections coming up, it is extra busy, but it also gives a lot of energy.”
Since 2018, Verbeek-Benink has been a one-man faction in the city council under the name Het Alternatief. Before that she was a councilor for the PvdA and she was also an alderman on behalf of that party.
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Election time
Verbeek-Benink spends an average of four to eight hours a week on her work as a councilor. “Now at election time, that’s a different story. The last few weeks I’ve been working on it full-time with the faction,” she says.
In Vaals, a councilor earns about 900 euros gross per month. “I think that’s quite a lot. It has already been increased. First we got between 300 and 400 euros. I managed just fine with that.”
Time
At her home, people are no longer surprised that she spends so much time on local politics. “My husband is also involved in the party, so that makes a difference. But the children finally think I’m crazy. On the other hand, they don’t know any better. They enjoy themselves.”
To trust
With the municipal elections approaching, Verbeek-Benink is disappointed that confidence in politics has fallen sharply. She also sees a role for local politics to restore this confidence. “By visiting people more often and explaining why choices are made. Your decisions then become more powerful, because you receive input from society.”
Verbeek-Benink rarely takes a walk through the village without being addressed. “It’s not always about politics, you know. But people are often curious about what a certain decision means for them. Or people say they are disturbed by places where there is a lot of dog poop.”
Ambiance
According to Verbeek-Benink, the election time always creates a certain atmosphere. “From making the posters up to and including the election programme. It’s nice to be able to put our shoulders to the wheel with a whole group.”
Because of the municipal elections, L1 moves into the province and polls the vote. Limburg Votes can be seen on L1 TV every day at 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.