Young people vote: District candidate in dialogue at the GFS Diepholz

Young people vote: District candidate in dialogue at the GFS Diepholz

On Sunday, September 8th, the Diepholz district is faced with an important choice: the district election. In a panel discussion organized by the student representative of the Graf Friedrich School, the four candidates asked the students' questions of what caused a lively discussion with some critical points.

The Diepholzer Gymnasium, better known as GFS, received the district candidate Kristine Helmerichs from the Greens, Michael Schnieder from the AfD, Ulrike Tammen from the SPD and Volker Meyer, supported by an independent candidate supported by the CDU and FDP. Around 400 pupils from the years 10 to 13 were present and had the opportunity to bring their own questions.

candidates agree on central topics

The moderation took over some students from the GFS. Marie Zander, Hannah Dittgen and Thilo Stolte opened the discussion with an invitation to deal with respect, which proved to be successful. Surprisingly, it was shown that all candidates agreed in many points. The central question of the central clinic, which is under construction in Borwede, was clearly affirmed by all candidates. Ulrike Tammen emphasized the importance of the clinic with regard to the shortage of skilled workers in the healthcare system and the need to ensure medical care in the region.

The discussion went smoothly, so that a uniform tenor had largely existed on decisive topics such as school transport and fiber optic expansion in the district. During the student transportation, which currently has monthly costs of 30 euros for the high school students, three candidates saw themselves for a free ticket, while Schnieder opposed this view and described the existing costs as reasonable.

fiber optic expansion and vacancies as pressing problems

Another central point was the fiber optic expansion in the district. Here all candidates expressed resentment about progress. Volker Meyer summed it up: "We are not satisfied with the process." Kristine Helmerichs called for more commitment on the part of the district administrator to achieve the goal of the nationwide expansion, while Schnieder realistically granted that not every gap could be closed. Together they advocated investing in information campaigns to show alternatives for households without fast internet.

Furthermore, the topic of increasing vacancies in the city centers was a common concern. All candidates recognized the challenge of online trading and agreed that strengthening the gastronomy and services was crucial to keep the city centers alive. Ulrike Tammen also noticed that "we all fault a bit, when it comes to the current challenges.

The panel discussion offered a clear insight into the positions of the candidates and the challenges in front of which the district is facing. Despite the recognizable unity in many points, it remains to be seen how these topics will develop in the election campaign and whether the candidates will position themselves more clearly in the future. The impression that the event lacked spice was shared by some observers who had hoped for more lively debates.