Schwerin (dpa / mv) - Four weeks before the registration deadline for the election of the mayor in Schwerin, the fourth applicant threw his hat in the ring. Daniel Trepsdorf will run for the left, who had already provided the mayor with Angelika Gramkow from 2008 to 2016. His goal is to give new impetus to urban development despite the need to make savings. "Schwerin is highly indebted. But that shouldn't mean that we gamble away our options for the future. The image of a Swabian housewife doesn't fit a state capital," said Trepsdorf on Wednesday in Schwerin.
He accused incumbent Rico Badenschier (SPD) of submitting to the austerity dictates of the state government and thus putting important investments on the back burner. There was a lack of offers of help and meeting places for young people. The increasing division in society is also reflected in the occupancy of individual residential areas. "We need a policy that counteracts this," said the 46-year-old social scientist, who has worked in democracy consulting for years.
The mayoral election in Schwerin will take place on June 4, 2023. Applicants can submit their documents until March 21st. Incumbent Badenschier, who surprisingly won the election in 2016, had already been nominated for a new candidacy in September 2022 by the SPD local association with a large majority. The doctor is seeking a second term. In addition to Trepsdorf, two other candidates have been identified. The non-party theologian and Diakonie managing director Thomas Tweer is standing in the elections with the support of the CDU, FDP and the voters' association Independent Citizens. The AfD sends Leif-Erik Holm, member of the Bundestag and state spokesman for the party, into the race for the top of the city.
