Castling in the municipal council

Prammer takes over the mayor’s agenda

Dietmar Prammer becomes Deputy Mayor and takes over the Mayor's agenda on an executive basis.

(Bild: Einöder Horst/@Flashpictures)

A personnel shake-up in Linz City Council: Dietmar Prammer, who is entering the race for Mayor of Linz as a candidate for the SPÖ, is to be elected first Deputy Mayor in the next City Council. He will thus take over the mayoral agenda from Karin Hörzing.

At the next municipal council meeting, several formal steps will be taken for the upcoming mayoral election. As only members of the municipal council may stand as candidates for the position of mayor, those councillors standing for election who have not previously held a seat on the municipal council will change seats within their parliamentary groups.

The SPÖ is also using this opportunity to make a change within the city senate. Councillor Dietmar Prammer, who was nominated by the SPÖ executive as a candidate for mayor, is to be elected first deputy mayor. The current executive deputy mayor Karin Hörzing will become third deputy mayor and hand over the mayor's executive agendas to Prammer, while Tina Blöchl will become a temporary city councillor. 

This is why castling is necessary
The positions of first and third deputy mayor have been held by the SPÖ parliamentary group since the last municipal council elections. These positions were previously held by Karin Hörzing and Tina Blöchl. Councillor Dietmar Prammer - like Councillor Schobesberger and Councillor Raml - has so far relinquished his seat on the municipal council. However, as such a mandate is necessary for a candidacy as mayor, changes in the municipal council factions are necessary. In the SPÖ, Dietmar Prammer will therefore immediately take over the function of Deputy Mayor, which automatically comes with a municipal council mandate, and Karin Hörzing will take over the executive agendas of the Mayor.

"Taking a step back again"
"The events in the summer brought me into the position of acting deputy mayor at short notice. However, it was clear to me that I would no longer take on this role in addition to my already extensive agenda once it was clear who in the SPÖ parliamentary group would take on the responsibility and run for mayor. However, a municipal council meeting is required for the formal changeover. That is why I am now withdrawing to the position of third deputy mayor and will actively support Dietmar Prammer as the city's social, family and sports officer," explains Deputy Mayor Karin Hörzing.

"Step is the clear consequence
"The upcoming step on September 26 in the Linz City Council is the clear consequence of Dietmar Prammer's candidacy: as the designated party leader and SPÖ candidate for the new mayoral election, he will lead Linz from the position of acting deputy mayor in the coming weeks and months until the election date on January 12, 2025. I will support Dietmar Prammer in his personal election campaign and beyond with full commitment and, as a city councilor, will continue my work in the areas of finance, human resources, integration and LGBTQ affairs, for which I have already been responsible as Linz's deputy mayor since autumn 2021. I look forward to setting the course for a successful future for our city together with Dietmar Prammer," says Deputy Mayor Tina Blöchl, who will temporarily become a city councillor.

"I am ready for more responsibility"
"I would like to thank Karin Hörzing for her work and Tina Blöchl for her support in taking this step. When I declared my candidacy for the office of mayor, I already made it clear that I am ready to take on more responsibility for the positive development of our city. I am also taking on the role of executive deputy mayor in the knowledge that there are major tasks in our city that require a great deal of prudence and care. In all these tasks I will seek cooperation with the other parties, because we must not see this in party-political terms, but only have the interests of the people of Linz in mind", explains Dietmar Prammer.