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Kleve district: 22 politicians say goodbye after 276 years of experience!
District Administrator Gerwers says goodbye to 22 district council members in the Rhine district of Neuss. Over 276 years of experience are lost, important projects are acknowledged.
Kleve district: 22 politicians say goodbye after 276 years of experience!
On November 3, 2025, an emotional farewell took place in the last meeting of the current electoral period of the Kleve district council. District Administrator Christoph Gerwers said goodbye to 22 members who will no longer be represented in the new district council. These departures amount to a remarkable 276 years and 2 months of experience being lost. Some of these deserving politicians have been active for over 25 years and have helped shape many important decisions during this time. Localclick reports that District Administrator Gerwers thanked those leaving for their tireless commitment and their valuable contribution to the work of the committee.
The meeting acknowledged many of the issues addressed during the outgoing members' terms of office. These include, among other things, the construction of new rescue stations in the district, the development of a sustainability strategy and the rescue of the St. Willibrord Hospital in Emmerich am Rhein. These projects have not only been of great importance for the region, but have also shown how important responsible action and objective discussions are for democracy. In his speech, Gerwers emphasized how much democracy depends on the sense of responsibility and willingness to compromise of its actors. Antenneniederrhein adds that the commitment of all groups was praised.
A sad farewell
The departing members bring with them a wide range of experience and commitment, and their departure will be particularly felt starting next year. The best-known faces leaving the district council include Paul Düllings, who has been active on the board since 2000, and Heinz Giesen, who has been active on the board since 1999. The full list of outgoing members includes:
- Paul Düllings (seit 2000)
- Heinz Giesen (seit 1999)
- Bert Gricksch (seit 2020)
- Pia Heine (seit 2020)
- Ralf Janssen (seit 2020)
- Torsten Kannenberg (seit 2020)
- David Kerkenhoff-Szopinski (seit 2014)
- Arie Kerkman (seit 2020)
- Ralf Klapdor (seit 2004)
- Kathrin Krystof (seit 2020)
- Andreas Mayer (seit 2020)
- Ulrich Neffe (seit 2020)
- Jan-Wellem Neuhaus (seit 2020)
- Monika Papageorgiou (seit 2020)
- Anna Peters (1984-2014, seit 2020)
- Andrea Schaffeld (1994-2014, seit 2020)
- Gabriele Schmidt (seit 2004)
- Harry Schulz (seit 2020)
- Ute Sickelmann (seit 1999)
- Gabriele Theissen (seit 2020)
- Sven Mika van Heek (seit 2020)
- Elke Währisch-Große (seit 2004)
Today, not only long-standing members, but also their stories go through their term of office. Lokalklick highlights how important their participation was and will be in shaping the regional future, while Antenneniederrhein emphasizes the general mood and the thanks of the district administrator.
The political structure in the Kleve district will certainly change in the coming months as a result of these changes. It remains to be hoped that the new faces who move into the district council can take on the responsibility and tradition of their predecessors and continue the positive development of the district.