Mid-term review

Social housing is the primary task of a city

Mayor Günther Albel in front of the skyline of "his city"

(Bild: Uta Rojsek-Wiedergut)

Villach Mayor Günther Albel on the "half-time issues", the needs of cities and municipalities, the problems with a green splinter group in Villach and the successor to Peter Kaiser.

Half-time in the municipal council period from 2021 to 2027. What has gone well in Villach so far, what has gone badly?

We drafted 25 points for Villach with the entire city senate, many of which have already been worked through. Let's think of the market, where four buildings have been bought up, 80 rental apartments are being built and the market is returning to its old location. The kindergarten offensive is underway, a total of 200 new places will be added and we will generate our own electricity for all municipal buildings by 2030 with the first photovoltaic system on a large area.

About the person

Born: January 8, 1974
Astrological sign: Capricorn
Marital status: married, two children
Education: Commercial academy, training as a registrar
Political career: Chairman of the Young SPÖ Villach, local councillor, deputy mayor, mayor of Villach since 2015

Where there is a lot of light, there is naturally a lot of shadow...

Well, these radical Greens of "Responsibility Earth" know no respect and are in denial of reality. They believe Villach is a mountain farm. These radicals are out of place. The "Responsibility Earth" list consists of intellectual climate stickers.

What's so great about the fact that Villach is growing so much? More population means more demand for living space, more demand for jobs and an expansion of the infrastructure.

It's true that more people have arrived in the past three years than in ten years. Villach is a dynamic city, with the biggest growth coming from Germany and the countries of the former Yugoslavia. But of course we have to expand the schools, the kindergartens, we need a second ice rink and there has to be housing.

Affordable living space is to be created with the market project on Kaiser Josef Platz

(Bild: Katrin Fister)

Apartments? That sounds like a panic reaction to the communists in Salzburg, or am I mistaken?

Housing, housing and housing is the topic of the next few years. And I'm talking about social housing, which is the primary task of a city. In future, we will make sure that social housing is obligatory for large-scale development projects. Otherwise there will be no dedication.

Especially in the area between the train station and the main square, you sometimes feel like you're in a Middle Eastern country. Why does Villach have so many migrants?

Our proportion is no greater than in the rest of Austria. But we have many visitors here during the day from the surrounding asylum centers, such as Ossiach.

Towns and municipalities are chronically short of money. How is that supposed to work with the expansion of the associated infrastructure? Sewers, roads... After all, you are also the head of the state association of towns...

The federal and state governments have shown a lack of respect for the municipalities. The situation is even more serious than we know, but at least the state is having a rethink. The vacancy tax is one element, but the entire levy system needs to be reformed. Let's also look at the extremely confusing financing of the transport association. Moreover, it is unacceptable that the municipalities, as school providers, now also have to maintain the staff.

Albel is being touted as Peter Kaiser's successor as provincial governor alongside Provincial Councillor Daniel Fellner

(Bild: Karin Wernig)

Let's move on to the lowlands of party politics. Your name - together with that of Provincial Councillor Daniel Fellner - is repeatedly brought into play when it comes to Peter Kaiser's successor as head of the SPÖ and probably also as provincial governor. What is there to it?

It's logical that Peter Kaiser will retire at some point. I'm making it clear that I won't be his successor. My place is in Villach and my job is in Villach.