Stefan Kruse: The non-party bearer of hope for Wangerooge!

Stefan Kruse: The non-party bearer of hope for Wangerooge!

The search for the new mayor is coming to a head in Wangerooge. A new island mayor will be elected on August 17, 2025, and the mixed pool of applicants promises exciting challenges. In the midst of this lively election campaign, the independent candidate Stefan Kruse has set himself the goal of taking over the mayor's office. What is particularly interesting is that Kruse is not supported by a party, but is running as an independent candidate, although he has been a member of the local council since the 2021 local elections.

The 41-year-old, who spent his childhood on the island, now lives there with his wife Muriel and their daughter. “I feel a strong connection to Wangerooge, especially through my family,” emphasizes Kruse, whose great-grandfather was the last “real” lighthouse keeper on the island. This connection to the island extends not only through his family roots, but also through his professional responsibilities, as the couple runs the Rüstringen school camp in the west of the island.

Political ambitions and future plans

Kruse brings with him a wealth of qualities from his time as a professional windsurfer, including stamina, discipline and tenacity. He sees these strengths as valuable in tackling Wangerooge's central issues. His project ideas include the conversion of an existing building into a new administrative center, the creation of social housing and the revitalization of the “Oase” swimming pool. Marketing strategies to sharpen the island's tourist profile are also on the agenda.

The elections are not an easy task: Kruse is running against five competitors, including Tina Mißmahl and Werner Götz, both of whom are also independent, as well as the FDP councilor Thomas Commichau and Sven Janisch, who receives support from the CDU, the Greens and the SPD. The competitive situation is therefore highly dynamic. The preparations for the election have already generated a wave of over 400 applications to the parties NDR reported.

A change with new faces

The election comes after a turbulent year for the community. The last mayor, Marcel Fangohr, unexpectedly resigned in 2023 after a dispute with the local council. He was also found through a job advertisement. Now the community is using this approach again to attract fresh ideas and new faces for the mayoral election. Interestingly, a new hire, such as that of lighthouse keeper Daniel Jochheim, who was selected from over 1,100 applications, can bring additional momentum to the community and sharpen the focus on the upcoming elections.

It remains to be seen whether Kruse can implement his vision of creating a home for everyone in the election. He has already received positive feedback, but he remains modest in his assessment of his chances. The voters on Wangerooge will decide whether they want to sail with him into a new era of political formation.

For election and information needs, statistics on the local elections in Lower Saxony are also available online, like this Lower Saxony State Office for Statistics communicates.