Promissory bill affair

Big bang before the election: popular head of the village leaves

Mayor Ernst Fischbacher draws a surprising line just a few weeks before the municipal elections.

(Bild: Barbara Winkler)

Political upheaval in the Styrian tourist community of Ramsau am Dachstein: the non-party mayor Ernst Fischbacher has unexpectedly withdrawn from his list and will not be standing in the next local council elections. This was triggered by a conflict with the state.

"I'm not covering up the mistakes of others that happened ages ago," says Ernst Fischbacher, mayor of Ramsau am Dachstein. This refers to the smouldering conflict surrounding promissory bills dating back to the 1999 Nordic World Championships. Almost six years ago, the municipal leadership learned that the municipality was sitting on a mountain of debt amounting to 2.3 million euros. Since then, the ÖSV, the province of Styria and the municipality have been debating who is responsible for the amount.

11 out of 15 mandataries leave
As the list of mayors, which represents eleven of the 15 elected representatives, refused to integrate the two million euros into the accounts until the very end, the situation has now escalated: "There is a current letter from the Styrian municipal supervisory authority stating that we will no longer receive any needs-based allocations if we do not take on the debt. However, I am of the opinion that this would not be right. Mainly because there was no municipal council resolution on the matter at the time," Fischbacher explains to the "Krone" newspaper.

I sought a declaratory action, then we would finally have officially known who was in the right.

Ernst Fischbacher

It was suggested to those involved that the delicate matter should lead to a declaratory action: "Then we would know who is in the right. If the province of Styria is found to be right, so be it. Then I will take note of that."

However, all discussions with the responsible parties had not led to a solution: "So I'll let it go. I won't take on so much debt just because Graz tells me to, that goes against my principles. I would also be worried about being guilty of infidelity."

"I am incredibly sorry"
Fischbacher remains true to his line - once again - and retires from municipal politics: "I'm incredibly sorry, I've done the job for ten years with a lot of heart and passion, but it doesn't help." Without money from the state capital, the municipality would suffer a loss: "So I have to go. Because it's not about my well-being, but that of the municipality."

The departure of the mayor, deputy mayor and the entire municipal council will completely reshuffle the cards in the municipal council elections on March 23.