Appointment of Mayor Alexander Maier

Tonight (January 14th) the Mayor Alexander Maier was ceremoniously deployed in his office. In his speech, the Stuttgart district president Wolfgang Reimer congratulated him on his election victory and wished Alexander Maier a good start to a successful term.

We are happy to provide press representatives from the district president's speech - the spoken word counts:

I am very happy to be with you today and to celebrate this very special event of your inauguration, Dear Mr. Maier, solemnly and under pandemic conditions in local presence. This event is a special turning point for the large district town and its citizens as well as the municipal council and the town hall team. It puts the watch on a fresh start in the town hall.

to the person

If you take office today, you are Germany's youngest mayor. On November 8, 2020, after an election campaign under the motto "The New Together", they were elected new mayor of Göppingen with the relative majority required in the second ballot. Change at the top of a community is always an important turning point in the political life of a city - and of course is associated with opportunities. You have been a Göppingen since childhood. You know life in this city and want to improve life in this city. Göppingen is very important to them. That is why they have tried to be the mayor of this city, and now they can play a decisive role in the design and further development of this city at the foot of the embedded Dreiaiserberge Hohenstaufen, Rechberg and Stuifen play the wonderful landscape of the lower filstal.

2014 they were elected to the town council of the city of Göppingen and already know the work for the city and the population from a different side. They have represented the Göppingen constituency since 2016 as a MP. They have set themselves the goal of developing Göppingen in the Boehringer area into a digital economic center and promoting the settlement of shops in the districts instead of building them on the green meadow. A cycle path concept and a higher frequency of the CityBus lines, the creation of a more affordable and ecological living space and the establishment of a "House of Diversity" for intercultural associations are part of the "Coexistence" area on their working agenda. In particular, you would like to transform the city into a model for climate protection. A climate -neutral Göppingen is to be realized by 2035, and climate protection is therefore a top priority. Open and fair cooperation and a dialogue at eye level are also important to them. You want to give citizen participation and the creation of cultural areas and art in public spaces a stronger emphasis and weighting. They strive for modern, civil -friendly, dynamic and service -oriented administration.

The regional council, Mr. Maier, continues to offer you a good and trusting partnership in all questions. We are at your side!

outlook and milestones:

health care

In times of pandemic, health care is even more in the focus of the citizens. It is good that our capacities, for example in the intensive care unit, are well equipped and we hardly reached our limits here. With the construction of the clinic on Eichert in Göppingen with a total volume of around 430 million euros, the city of Göppingen is currently implementing one of the largest health construction projects in Baden-Württemberg. This important investment in the future is one of the most important construction work for the health care of people in Göppingen, but also for the district and beyond. A good future for Alb Fils Clinics is to offer patients and employees an important future measure and thus a high -quality and local guarantee for the best possible medical health care.

mobility and climate protection

For many, the car is still a central part of our mobility. Baden-Württemberg stands as a home of the automobile for innovation and technology. However, sustainable and climate -friendly technology is required. The future of mobility will be emission -free, digitized and networked. Climate protection, alternative drives, innovative usage concepts and networked, resource -saving mobility are important fields of future. Climate protection and the implementation of the energy transition are therefore a high priority. I can no longer see whether we will achieve the goal of limiting global warming compared to the beginning of the industrial age to one and a half degrees. We and the industrialized nations around the world have done far too little. However, we need quick and far-reaching changes, especially in energy generation, land use, urban development, transport and construction sectors as well as in industry. These things have to start immediately. The next ten years are crucial for their effects. Otherwise, we will not even reach the two-degree goal set by international climate policy. But I see enormous opportunities here, especially among the municipalities. Hold citizens responsible and make exemplary clear accents for climate protection. Fridays for future movements are still present for all of us and the future belongs to future generations. In order to concentrate on Göppingen again, I know that the breakdown of the B10alt between Eislingen and Süßen for the district and of course also for the city of Göppingen is of great importance with regard to a possible integration into the Filstal speed connection. The B10alt is expected to be reduced from 2022. The coordination between the project sponsors must be completed in advance. In the coming year, the state is planning to bring part of this fast wheel connection to life, which will pass to the fast cycle path of the country between Reichenbach an der Fils and Stuttgart. For this purpose, a section between the districts - ie between Reichenbach and Ebersbach - is to be produced. In addition, we are currently working on replacing the Marbach Bridge in Faurndau - also a transfer of the B297 in the case of the Marbach. Planning is currently in full swing and we hope to start building in 2024. Other important measures that my company took around Göppingen last year were the renovation of the B297 in Birenbach. There the Krettenbach was rebuilt and the bike path was converted over the Schurwald.

urban development and funding

Another aspect that I would like to address is the financing of urban development. Since the 1980s, the state has transferred almost 35 million funds from urban development programs to the city. This year, among other things, the “City Promade” design measure is to be carried out in order to connect the train station with the western part of the city. More than 7.5 million funds have been approved since 2009, especially for the station area and the restructuring of the station area. The area was significantly changed and thus significantly upgraded. A world -famous software company (TeamViewer AG) was run in Göppingen, whose headquarters were in the heart of Göppingen. Finally, I would like to briefly go into the future project, the renovation project "Boehringer area", which has already started in the preliminary planning phase. This measure has now been transferred to the "Growth and Sustainable Renewal" (WEP) program by the Federal Land Program "Urban Redevelopment West" (SUW) within the new state program structure. So far, grants of 1.5 million euros have been approved for this measure.

Education and school

Another important aspect is the field of education. Investing in education is a must. It is a big task for the communities to be mastered. Every euro that will be invested in the future of our children is a reasonably invested euro. As a former bold student-you have completed a commercial training in the region yourself-you know the three vocational schools in Göppingen, the trading school, the Justus von Liebig School and the commercial school very well. And although originally not responsible, these schools are certainly very important for the city from their own biography. These schools enrich the city's educational offer enormously, because around 4,500 young people and young adults receive a school start into professional life. Göppingen is a school and sports city: with an investment volume of 13 million, the Barbarossa thermal baths were comprehensively redesigned and thus offer the best conditions for modern swimming and physical education. Speaking of sports: Göppingen is fresh! You yourself are a passionate handball fan and saw many games in the arena. Now investments are being made in school education. Keep the contacts warm! The new players of the Frisch-Auf-Göppingen Bundesliga women handball team are teachers from Switzerland. The current corona situation presents the schools with a very special challenge. The organization must be constantly adapted to new regulations, even if the supply situation is often tense. The implementation of hygiene concepts or the use of new digital media are strengths that can only succeed in the interaction between school, school administration and the school authority. Let's work well here in the future. As a trained radio journalist, a diverse and innovative media landscape is particularly important to you. The germ cells for digital and media developments include schools, since they too can convey skills for competent and responsible use of the media. In the course of the digital pact, the city of Göppingen has acquired a large number of digital end devices that are now to be embedded in a digital infrastructure. At high schools, digital lessons have a top priority, which is reflected in numerous reviews such as "Digital School", "Tablet BW" and MINT-friendly school. to continue to support the city in this important task and to continue the good cooperation that we have so far.

finance

Finally, I would like to take a look at the financial situation of Göppingen. The year 2020 was characterized by the Corona crisis, which affected the economy and thus also on the income situation of municipal households. It is still not predictable how long the coronaemy will continue and what other consequences it will have. The Corona crisis will probably have a negative impact on municipal finances and profitability of the budget in the coming years. The city of Göppingen is able to compensate for the corona -related lower returns and additional expenses in the earnings budget and the resulting lack of own funds in the financial budget with regard to the reserves that are still available and the liquid equity. In the medium term, however, efforts should be made to strengthen the earnings budget in order to remain productive in the long term and to counteract the constantly increasing debt.