In future, Folkerts will coordinate the important and cross-departmental issues of the regional center in a central position in the Freiburg city administration and take over the leadership of the Freiburg city council and other bodies.
“The experiences of the last few years in Titisee-Neustadt have shaped me and I am very grateful for this experience. The city of Titisee-Neustadt is now well positioned, not least thanks to the good cooperation and dedicated work of the city council and the administration”, explains Folkerts.
She is especially grateful that in difficult times, together with the city team and thanks to the excellent cooperation with the city council, it was possible to bring a breath of fresh air to the city, essentially setting sails to zero, realizing projects that have been open for decades and for give an important boost.
For example, important successes have been achieved in school development, citizen participation, urban development, digitization and the creation of creative and common meeting places in all districts. In addition, during his three-year mandate, the coronavirus and refugee crises and the current energy shortage had to be overcome.
After careful consideration and some discussions with his family and confidants, he decided to make a change and ultimately decided that he could better combine the demands of work and family while continuing to play a central role in the local community of the region. The center of family life is Freiburg, which alone makes it easier to combine work and family. In addition, the personal burden over the past three years of managing the crisis, working out significant problem areas, and owning your own expectations of outcomes has been immense.
“For three years, I gladly accepted any task that was assigned to me, wholeheartedly and totally committed to the city and its inhabitants,” explains Folkerts. He put the needs of the city above the needs of his family and his health to a large extent. 70-90 hour weeks and lots of date nights weren’t the exception, but the rule. According to Folkerts, this was necessary to reposition the city and bring it up to speed.
This area – especially in view of the permanent crisis mode from 2020 – was not foreseeable in the election year and is not compatible with a healthy long-term family life, explains Folkerts:
“The decision to change is therefore a decision for the family, not against Titisee-Neustadt.”
In addition to the improved compatibility between work and family, the position of department head of the city of Freiburg offers Folkerts the opportunity to use his experience and skills in the wider municipal framework at a central control point of the administration, here as Folkerts explains the change in terms of content. It is important to her that what has been achieved in Titisee-Neustadt is in good hands and that there is an orderly transition. It has therefore been agreed with your new office that a change should take place on 1 March 2023.
According to Folkerts, the district administrator, city council, officials and close employees had already been informed in advance. After Folkert’s departure in February 2023, Gustl Frey as first deputy mayor and the head of the main office, Christian Birkle, will accompany the transition until a successor takes office.
The work of the administration continues according to plan. The 2023 budget has already been approved and will be reviewed by the municipal supervisory authority by January 2023. The projects mentioned therein will be implemented in 2023.
How’s it going from here?:
The municipal council of the city of Titisee-Neustadt will probably already deal with the modalities of the tender and the election of the new mayor at its December meeting. A new election could then take place as early as March 2023. A vacancy would only exist for a few weeks.
(Press information: City administration Titisee-Neustadt, 07.12.2022)
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