District Administrator Hackethal starts citizen dialogue: Visits to every community!

District Administrator Hackethal starts citizen dialogue: Visits to every community!

On June 30, 2025, the time has come: District Administrator Andreas Hackethal, who has been in charge of the Bernkastel-Wittlich district since March of this year, has launched a comprehensive series of visits to all cities and municipalities in the district. As the Berger newspaper reports, the starting signal for this initiative was given in the municipalities of Pantenburg and Etgert, where Hackethal found out about the current challenges and opportunities in the respective places in a personal exchange with the mayors and municipal council members.

Hackethal, who was elected as the new district administrator on June 9, 2024 with 75.5 percent of the vote, relies on direct dialogue. “I want to hear the voices and concerns of citizens,” he said. It is particularly important to him that every community has the opportunity to contact him directly. The order of the visits is carried out democratically and randomly so that all municipalities have the same chance of a visit. “We want to promote collaboration on equal terms,” he emphasizes.

The importance of civic involvement

At a time when citizen engagement is playing an increasingly important role, dialogue between administration and citizens is essential. Hackethal is determined to take citizens' concerns into account in his decisions. This is also in line with results from a recent digital citizen dialogue, in which up to 75 citizens discussed personal motivations and experiences in times of crisis. Topics such as digital communication and the challenges during the corona pandemic were on the agenda Participation compass reported.

The dialogues, which lasted around two and a half hours, were held in a structured manner that included both plenary discussions and small group work. According to Hackethal, the results of these discussions should serve to develop concrete measures for improved cooperation between citizens and administration.

A look into the future

The new district administrator, who previously served as mayor of the municipality of Morbach, has already signaled that he is looking forward to working closely with his predecessor Gregor Eibes, who will remain in office until the end of February 2025. Eibes describes Hackethal as an outstanding local politician and is convinced that he will lead the district successfully. “Andreas is someone who is close to people,” says Eibes.

In the coming months, Hackethal will travel through the communities, talk to people and take their concerns seriously. At a time when direct exchange is perhaps more important than ever before, a district administrator is setting out to tackle the challenges of the future. It will be interesting to see what new impulses the tour through the district will bring.