Mayor of Groningen Called It Quits and Made Space for the First Woman in Office
Mayor of Groningen 'no longer has the energy'.
The Groningen city council said goodbye to Mayor Koen Schuiling in a special meeting in October. Schuiling had been mayor of Groningen since June 2019 and did not finish his first six-year term.
When he announced his resignation last month, he said the past few years had been very intense. Shortly after, it emerged that earlier this year he had been penalized by the judiciary for 'offensive behavior.'
He wrote in a statement: "In March 2024, I was driving alone in my car. Due to my medical condition, I suddenly experienced severe abdominal pain. An attempt to alleviate that pain was interpreted as offensive by another road user. Of course, that was not the case. I explained this to the police, including providing a medical statement. To my surprise, the Public Prosecution Service still imposed a fine."
He now states that the situation regarding the fine has played a role in his decision.
"The energy that this false accusation has cost me in recent times adds to the intense years that are behind me. As stated in my resignation letter, it is not the reason for my decision to step down. However, it has accelerated the moment of saying goodbye. This is also to limit the unnecessary and unjust damage to the office of the mayor of and for Groningen," he said.
Because of his resignation, there is now room for someone else. When Mirjam van't Veld entered the Groningen city hall on the 28th of October, she became the first female mayor of the largest city in our province.
The acting mayor is also responsible for public order and safety: "I think a city that is safe and livable is extremely important. So I will certainly be on top of that," Van't Veld said. She will be staying in a hotel for the foreseeable future and is still looking for housing for the coming months.
However, Van't Veld will be an observer in the coming months until the search for a new permanent mayor is completed. The search for a permanent replacement for Koen Schuiling is expected to be completed around the summer of 2025.