ÖVP in trouble

Land given away, anonymous complaint

Things are going haywire in Droß ahead of the municipal elections.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

In view of the general political situation, the mood is tense ahead of the Lower Austrian local council elections. It is logical that the ÖVP, with its 448 mayors in 573 municipalities, is trembling ahead of the ballot on January 26. All the more so when mayors make life difficult for themselves ...

67.80 percent of the votes, eleven out of 15 seats - the ÖVP secured an absolute majority in the 2020 municipal elections. Apart from the SPÖ and FPÖ (two seats each), no other party stood. Governance in the aftermath? A solo effort by the People's Party. A one-man show with Mayor Andreas Neuwirth in the leading role.

Five years later, the vote is held again. "For the first time, the population is giving serious thought to the elections," says FPÖ top candidate Gunther Lenzatti, sensing the mood of his fellow citizens. Something is happening in Droß. There is rumbling. There are many reasons for this. Most of them are of the ÖVP's own making. Years of riding roughshod over other opinions and ruling without regard for political rivals have awakened the people of Droß. The founding of the new party "Zukunft Droß" offers an alternative for all those who are dissatisfied.

From runner-up to competitor
What is special: The lead candidate is former deputy mayor Christoph Kitzler. He experienced Mayor Neuwirth's reign at close quarters. "Transparency is finally needed, an audit is the first thing that is necessary," says Kitzler, who was removed from the party list by Neuwirth just before the elections. Because he didn't just say "yes" and "amen". "I therefore resigned and founded my own party. For the future, our municipality needs a policy that is close to the people and treats the concerns of the people of Droß with respect and at eye level - fairly and seriously - regardless of gender, origin, political views, age or level of education."

Christoph Kitzler and Dietmar Kirschbaum want to bring transparency to everyday politics with their new party Zukunft Droß.

(Bild: Harald Dworak)

Because there are enough problems in the community. At the forefront are the financial concerns. The debt level is 2.5 million euros and loans are only approved by the state for important infrastructure projects. Sports grounds are not one of them. As a result, the hoped-for cabin project also died. "We offered the club chairman an alternative. But he doesn't want to talk to us about it before the election," says Zukunft-Droß chairman Dietmar Kirschbaum. He had already raised half a million euros from sponsors.

500,000 euros in sponsorship rejected
The soccer official has yet to make a statement. According to the mayor, the state is to blame for the failure of the new building. The fact that their own finances put a stop to the project is not clearly communicated. The state of Lower Austria has also been keeping an eye on Droß. When asked by "Krone", it said: "Although the financial situation of the municipality does not offer any leeway, it cannot be described as serious." Naturally, Kirschbaum is not happy that the planning of the new building has already cost 22,000 euros.

"The municipality of Droß acts within the framework of a responsibly prepared budget and pays attention to a sustainable financial policy. The decisions were discussed in the municipal council, decided by a majority and are in the interests of the municipality and its citizens," Neuwirth admits responsibility for the high level of debt. 

Anonymous complaint received
Things get really serious when charges are brought against the mayor. The head of the village announced this in a written invitation to an information event: "We distance ourselves from those people who poison the good atmosphere in our community with anonymous complaints against the mayor."

Charges against the mayor? The regional police directorate knows nothing about this. "The police in Lower Austria have not received any anonymous complaints against the mayor," said the chief inspector in a written statement. "There is an anonymous complaint to the district administration, not to the police, which was correctly stated in the invitation to the information evening," said Neuwirth. Not at all, as can be read (in the picture).

The fact that the report was not received by the police but by the BH is not mentioned as claimed.

(Bild: Gemeinde Droß)

The fact is that many people could think of reasons to file a complaint. FPÖ municipal councillor Lenzatti, for example, sees a need for explanation in the case of land given away. On December 19 last year, the municipal council decided to donate two small plots of land - which are not publicly accessible - to the owners of surrounding properties. "In principle, it's tricky to give away public property," says Lenzatti. The fact that the municipality also covered the notary's costs, which could not be quantified when asked by Lenzatti before the vote, is a mockery in view of the financial situation. And in fact, the district authority received a complaint on this very subject. "As this is a financial matter, the state is responsible for it," the BH told the "Krone" newspaper.

"The municipality does not benefit from these areas, and there is no access via public property," Neuwirth explains. "After discussions with the families concerned, who have been looking after the plots on a voluntary basis for years, and a discussion in the municipal council, it was decided to hand over the plots free of charge, as the cost to the municipality over the years would be higher than giving the plots away." Not everyone shares this view, as the anonymous complaint confirms.

No acceptance by the municipality
Another reason for a complaint is illegally put up posters on municipal land. Directly opposite the municipal office is the following banner with no recognizable sender:

(Bild: Harald Dworak)

It is about the renovation of the already dilapidated castle in the village. As reported, an investment group would renovate the castle and open a large hotel with a new building. The municipality, which is against the project, does not want to know anything about the originator. "The municipal secretary has confirmed to me that he doesn't know who put up the poster," says Lenzatti. The mayor also confirms that the municipality has nothing to do with the poster. The fact that there is a similar poster with the same lettering and color on a field not far away on the land leased by ÖVP deputy mayor and municipal employee Erhart Lintner only leaves room for conjecture about the author. "Lintner was even seen putting up the poster on his field," local residents tell the "Krone". 

Surprisingly, Neuwirth is not bothered by someone putting up political messages on municipal land without permission: "As there is no traffic obstruction, removal is not mandatory and poster removals are often controversial, especially before elections, which is why the municipality is deliberately cautious in such cases." Probably also because the message is in the mayor's interests.

One more word about the castle project: while the mayor wants to prevent the hotel project by any means necessary, he delivered another delicacy at the aforementioned information event. Neuwirth presented the audience with a project by his friend Martin Endredy. "Endredy actually assured me in a personal conversation on the same evening as the ÖVP/SPÖ event that he has no interest or intention of acquiring the castle. He emphasized that he had participated in the event at the request of the mayor in order to accommodate him," said Franz Haubenberger, part of the family that owns the castle.