Lustenau

Simon Vetter (Greens) is the candidate for mayor

Simon Vetter has been managing director of an organic farm with 15 employees since 2016.

(Bild: mathis.studio)

The Lustenau ÖVP had already presented its top candidate for the municipal elections in spring 2025 in the summer. If the black party has its way, Patrick Wiedl will succeed long-term mayor Kurt Fischer. The FPÖ, on the other hand, is likely to enter the race with local party leader Martin Fitz, while the Greens - somewhat surprisingly - have chosen Simon Vetter as their top candidate. 

Most people probably had Green Party leader Daniel Zadra or local party leader Christine Bösch-Vetter on their radar. However, both confirmed at the candidate presentation on Thursday morning on Lustenau's church square that they want to concentrate on their work in the state parliament. Zadra is known to have taken over the office of club leader. Bösch-Vetter, a member of the state parliament, had to take on a few more spokesperson functions following the Greens' election failure in the fall and the resulting loss of MPs.

In Lustenau, Bösch-Vetter's younger brother will now take over. The 40-year-old organic farmer is quite optimistic going into the election campaign. When asked how he assesses his chances in traditionally blue Lustenau, which has been governed by a black mayor since 2010, he replied: "I've heard many colleagues talk about how big the harvest will be that they reap." In the end, however, everything turned out differently. 

And because the recent state and national election results are not exactly providing a tailwind, the Greens prefer to look to Höchst and Lochau. In September 2020, Frank Matt became the first Green in Vorarlberg to secure the seat of mayor in the Leiblachtal municipality. In November 2022, Stefan Übelhör won the mayoral run-off election in Höchst against ÖVP candidate Heidi Schuster-Burda in a similar surprise.

Simon Vetter

Simon Vetter (40) lives and works in Lustenau, is married and has an eight-year-old son. Vetter studied environmental and bioresource management as well as rural development and resource management at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna. He has been a municipal representative for the Green Party in Lustenau since 2019.

And how does Simon Vetter want to score points with voters? "In the past 15 years, there has been a lot of philosophizing about the future of Lustenau, but little has been implemented. There are plenty of examples of where too little has been done. We can see one here at Kirchplatz," he explains. Like his fellow campaigners from the Lustenau Green Party, Vetter wants a center with a high quality of stay. This would include a good range of restaurants, attractive retail spaces and cultural events. 

He has no concrete plans for what should happen to the street that runs along Blauer Platz. He would wait for the experts' proposals. But one thing is clear: "We don't want a center that is easy to drive through. That won't bring more customers to the stores and won't improve the quality of life for the people of Lustenau." 

"The ball is in the country's court"
As far as the tiresome issue of the S18 is concerned, Vetter is still waiting for those responsible in the state to finally implement the immediate measures. "The referendum has produced a clear result. Now the ball is in the state's court."

Other priorities that Vetter would set as mayor would concern the education sector. But he doesn't want to lose sight of municipal finances either. "For many investments, it might not always have to be the high-end version," he says. 

The green light for his candidacy came not only from his party colleagues, but also from his wife and brother, who has joined the farming business. "We need a mayor who is hands-on, courageous and creates real change together with the people. I am ready to take on this responsibility."