The big winner of the municipal elections in Venray, Venray Lokaal, would like to jointly manage the municipality with all eight parties for the next four years.
According to party leader of Venray Local Harold Stevens, the new style of management has gone down well in recent months.
Enter into a dialogue
“We have to learn not to think party-specifically, much more in the bigger picture. I think that is what the Netherlands needs,” says the party leader.
Stevens hopes to establish a cooperation agreement that all parties support. “In addition, there are of course all kinds of themes that we can all discuss together and then let everyone indicate what he thinks of that as a representative of the people,” he says. According to Stevens, parties should enter into a dialogue much more with each other instead of against each other.
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interpretation debate
Venray Lokaal became the largest party in Venray on Wednesday evening with seven seats. Usually, the party that has become the largest in the elections takes the initiative for the coalition negotiations. But in Venray, all parties have agreed in advance that there will first be a so-called interpretation debate.
During that debate on March 22, the party leaders, led by acting mayor Leontien Kompier, will discuss the results of the elections and agreements will be made about the follow-up.
governance crisis
The traditional relations of coalition and opposition were already thrown overboard in Venray last year. After the resignation of two CDA aldermen, the CDA, Venray Lokaal and D66 coalition fell apart. The last two parties have formed the board together with the opposition parties for the past eight months.
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According to Stevens, society is a bit done with ‘the opposition and coalition happening’. “That fighting each other. Instead of looking for what distinguishes us from each other, looking for what finally connects us. And then you see that suddenly very beautiful things can happen,” says the foreman of Venray Lokaal.
CDA
Stevens indicates that there is also room for the CDA. “Why not? But do adapt and subordinate yourself to the bigger picture. We must all learn to serve the greater whole. It’s not about our game, it’s about the resident of Venray,” says Stevens.