One more day mayor – how are you?
Very good, because I end this chapter on a positive note for me. It was a mature thought that grew within me that led to this conclusion. But I’m fine with that.
Six weeks ago you announced your decision to resign, when did you already take it?
That was much earlier, weeks to months ago. I was still looking for a suitable time to resign. There were still a few deadlines to be considered. The deputy mayor has to take over the leadership until the new mayor is elected. Seen in this light, the timing was a good one because comparatively little is happening in July and August – it is not the case in St. Martin anyway that nothing is happening at all. In the previous municipal council meeting, it was the right time to publicly announce his resignation. I didn’t want to announce it for as long as possible to avoid speculation.
In your letter to the citizens of the community, you reported many negative experiences – what were you confronted with?
I don’t want to pin that down to individual cases, St. Martin is too small for that. If I were to specify examples, then everyone would know who is meant – I don’t want that. It was a multitude of events, right from the start. In my first year in office – seven years ago – I had my first court hearing because of a labor court case. These cases have continued through to appearances on the program “Bürgeranwalt”. Honestly, you just don’t want that.
There was approval and understanding for this step from fellow mayors. Was there any criticism?
Not at all from colleagues – at least no criticism got through to me. Colleagues from the district signaled to me that they know what I’m talking about, they feel the same way. Colleagues from all over Upper Austria, some of whom I didn’t even know, have also written to me, congratulating me on this courageous step and saying that they feel the same way. Many have also said that this step is not yet or no longer possible for them in the current situation.
And what were the reactions from the community population?
Those who came to me gave only positive feedback. Unfortunately, I almost have to say. Because that’s what I would have wished for for seven and a half years, that it said “well done, it’s a shame that you stopped”. Unfortunately, you don’t hear that very often. On the other hand, people understood that I was taking this step.
If the mayor’s office is slowly becoming a shortage occupation, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find people who are willing to take on this office.
It’s getting harder and harder. It is an extremely extensive activity, which of course depends on the size of the community and the structure. We have now reached a size where it is very extensive and you can no longer exercise the office of mayor alongside a normal job. If someone has to give up their job, it becomes difficult – also because the position is not overpaid. Then there is personal liability. The mayor is one of the few politicians who can personally sign and be personally held accountable.
There was also talk of “thin skin” in various comments. Didn’t you have that thick skin?
Maybe I was thin-skinned. The assessment of what is thin-skinned is very individual. Some say I just have a measure of feeling. In any case, I didn’t manage to leave all the affairs at the municipal office when I went home in the evening. It’s difficult in a place where everyone knows you, also because some follow you home and then ring you there. I come from an artistic profession that requires a certain feeling. And you don’t drop that just because you have another job that I didn’t originally plan to do.
The mayor’s office…?
Yes, I didn’t have that in my life plans. I was asked and I said yes. But back then I swore to myself two things: First, that I would not let myself be bent and second, that I would not change personally. So far I’ve managed to do that quite well. The fact that I don’t allow myself to be bent has sometimes given me a certain headwind – also within the party. I’m inherently a happy, fun, and sociable person. But if you are confronted with many negative issues for more than seven years, I have seen it endangered lately.
When you take stock of the mayor’s mission, have you accomplished it?
How I have fulfilled the mission is for others to judge. I did it the way I would have liked it if someone else did it. I ran the office with little personality cult. It wouldn’t have been a problem for me that I’m just the HP (that’s what friends and acquaintances call Hans Peter Hochhold; note) and not the mayor. From a political point of view, I see the mission accomplished quite successfully. We’ve accomplished a lot in the past seven and a half years. I deliberately say WE, because the mayor can bring in ideas and steer things – but the decision is made by the municipal council. We had well over 95 percent unanimous decisions. This shows that there has been good cooperation and sensible policies have been adopted. There were many long-term projects that we managed. I am particularly pleased that we were able to put the water supply on a healthy footing. We renovated and expanded the music middle school by more than two million euros. You don’t see much of some projects – canal and water – but they cost a lot of money. I don’t need buildings with my name tag on them. The cooperation was very good, that’s certainly not the point.
Should you or should you have done something differently?
From the decisions as they were made, I can’t think of anything that I would do differently. Maybe I would take a different approach. It’s just not my nature, but if you were less accessible and didn’t sit at the municipal office every morning and heard everything, it would be easier.
Looking back: Name the best moment of your time as mayor.
There are many. I repeat myself: it wasn’t all negative. There were many positive moments. The openings and personal conversations when someone says thank you were nice. The two elections were very moving moments. The first, that I was elected as a career changer with more than 50 percent of the votes, and then the second, in which I was confirmed with 72 percent. Something like this is remembered.
What advice would you give your successor?
I don’t take myself seriously enough to give advice to anyone. Everyone has to know for themselves how they want to approach the office. It’s a very interesting job. You should definitely be vigilant, because the activity involves so many areas. It is good advice to wait and see when it comes to certain things.
What’s the first thing on the agenda for the next few days?
Enjoy the summer, relax and unwind. In autumn I’m going back to my old job at the music school, then we’ll see what happens. I won’t get bored. I had my first job offer two hours after the first press release was out after my resignation. That’s a positive sign that I don’t have to worry too much about my future. But I won’t rush anything. And if I reorient myself, then in the direction of job profiles that only have positive connotations.
