Problems in Waechtersbach: Mayoral candidates answer questions!

Problems in Waechtersbach: Mayoral candidates answer questions!

Last Monday, a lively panel discussion on the upcoming mayoral election took place in Wartensbach, which attracted numerous citizens. Jan Volkmann, a career officer in the Bundeswehr who belongs to the “Rapid Forces” division, was one of the candidates. He emphasized that he was ready to tackle the city's growing problems and find solutions. Andreas Weiher, the local shop owner, was also represented on the podium and clearly highlighted the importance of the old town by pointing out new meeting places such as “Tally's” and “Nina's Bistro”. He emphasized that the castle was renovated and that impulses were given to the old town. The city also plans to take into account the market hall on the former brewery site.

Another topic of discussion was cyclist traffic in the castle park. A resident expressed her concerns and Weiher announced that cycling would be prohibited in this area in the future and that checks would be carried out by the city police. The pending traffic calming on Neudorfer Straße, where the speed limit has only been 30 km/h and “right before left” has been in effect for years, was also raised by residents from Weilers. Both Weiher and Volkmann assured that they wanted to take care of this problem.

Traffic chaos and housing sustainability

The parking situation in Köhlersgraben V was also discussed. A concerned citizen criticized the lack of sidewalks, whereupon Weiher pointed out that the density requirement had been implemented in the development plan and that additional parking areas should be created. Volkmann was open and offered to look for solutions together with the residents. Another concern was bioenergy in the city center, especially on Adtring. Weiher promised to continue to push ahead with the expansion of the city center, while Volkmann expressed the desire to advance progress in district heating, but “not at any price”.

The candidates paid particular attention to youth. Both emphasized the importance of a youth forum and youth advisory board in order to attract new ideas and minds for the future development of Waechtersbach. Volkmann urgently promoted innovations and fresh perspectives.

Use of artificial intelligence

One aspect that was not addressed in the discussion, however, is the development of artificial intelligence, which is also of central importance in the Bundeswehr. The Bundeswehr strives to remain competitive with the help of AI, both against allies and in the military environment. The focus is particularly on information, leadership and impact superiority in the areas of leadership, education, impact and support. A noteworthy point is that the Bundeswehr does not aim to deploy lethal autonomous weapon systems, but rather wants to use artificial intelligence in areas such as healthcare and cyber defense to optimize logistics processes and provide decision support. This could also be important for Waechtersbach’s future infrastructure.

The challenges in digitizing the Bundeswehr are considerable. The need for seamless data transfer and the integration of AI into existing systems are just a few aspects that will need to be addressed in the coming years. An important step in overcoming these challenges is collaboration with research institutions and industry to use innovative technologies and exchange experiences.

Overall, the panel discussion was an impressive start to a lively election campaign in Waechtersbach, which not only addressed local issues, but also took a look at future challenges.