Mayor's worries in Brunnen: Who runs the community?

Mayor's worries in Brunnen: Who runs the community?

In the Upper Bavarian municipality of Brunnen, located in the Neuburg-Schrobenhausen district, the situation before the local elections on March 8, 2026 is quite worrying. According to Antenne Bayern, there is not a single candidate for the office of mayor less than two months before election day. The incumbent mayor Thomas Wagner from the CSU has already decided not to run again and will hold his office until April 30th. This news is causing concern not only in Brunnen, but also in other Bavarian communities.

But Brunnen is not alone: ​​According to the Bavarian Municipal Association, there are a total of three municipalities in Bavaria that are facing the same dilemma. In addition to Brunnen, Philippsreut in Lower Bavaria and Megesheim in Swabia are also affected. The Megesheim case in particular raises questions because Mayor Karl Kolb held office for 22 years, but at 64 years old feels too old to serve again. Kolb expresses concern and describes the situation as sad.

Restrained candidate search

In Megesheim, residents like Marianne Quecke and Doris Dietrich show great concern and emphasize that they have never experienced a situation like this. However, Hans-Peter Mayer, director of the Bavarian Municipal Association, is optimistic. In the past there have been several elections without candidates that were ultimately resolved well. In this case, voters can simply write a name on the ballot and anyone with active voting rights can vote. If a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote and accepts the election, the problem will be a thing of the past.

However, if no suitable candidate is found, the district office will invite people to the constituent meeting of the local council from May 1st, which could then elect a provisional mayor. However, this could lead to a lengthy process. It is not unusual for election preparation and the search for a new election date to take months.

The challenges of volunteering

There are many reasons for the reluctance to approach the mayor's office. According to Wagner, volunteering in Brunnen is unattractive because the compensation for expenses is not sufficient. He is calling for a full-time position, but this idea has so far been rejected by the local council. This makes the situation in Brunnen even more complicated, while in other communities, such as Tüßling near Mühldorf, the mayor's office remains an honorary position and there are already several candidates for the election.

In Tüßling, voters can choose from three candidates: Frank Tepin from the Tüßlinger List, the former mayor Countess Stephanie von Pfuel from the CSU and Alexandra Ludwig from the Free Voters. Tepin is enthusiastic about his candidacy, while Kolb addresses the concerns in Megesheim without personally connecting any negative experiences with the office.

So what happens if a blank ballot is handed out in Brunnen on Election Day? If no candidate is elected and, in the worst case, all voters reject it, new elections are possible within three months. Otherwise, the district office could appoint an administrator and thus restrict the municipality's self-government. It remains to be seen how the situation will develop in the coming weeks, but one thing is certain: the mayoral elections in Brunnen and in the other affected communities promise to be exciting.

For more information on this topic, you can find the articles from Antenne Bayern here Antenna Bavaria and from BR24 BR24.