Pause for thought? Let's not even pause during Advent, the season in which Christianity prepares for the feast of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, Christmas. What does this time between hustle and bustle, hectic shopping, end-of-year celebrations, fragrant candles and bright lights actually mean to us today? Don't we all have to be careful not to lose sight of the essentials? And everyone has to find out for themselves what the essentials are for them.

But I would like to look back with you on what was and is essential for our city. Many things are quickly forgotten, but I think it is worth recalling some events. The 25th anniversary of the town twinning with Gotha is still fresh in our minds. Hundreds of guests and residents celebrated an unforgettable day of encounters together in November. They showed that the partnership is alive and well and also has a future in a united Germany.

In general, Salzgitter once again reaffirmed its claim to be a city with a sense of community and confidence. From the motorcycle memorial ride to the Museum Festival, the Klesmer and World Music Festival, the Old Town Festival, Kultursommer at Salder Castle with the NDR Schlagerfestival or the Lake Festival, the population and countless out-of-town guests had a great time in our city.

However, 2013 also presented us with some major professional and personal challenges. The significant slump in trade tax revenue once again demonstrated our solidarity with large companies - in good times and bad. In view of the economic recovery, however, I am confident that we will soon have passed through this trough, which is so typical of Salzgitter and recurs in certain cycles. But even - or especially - in financially difficult times, we take our responsibility seriously.

For seven years now, we have been sustainably preparing Salzgitter for the future by investing millions in schools, daycare centers and nurseries. The council and administration set the right and clear priorities early on.

In 2013, we once again made great efforts to create more nursery and daycare places. For the first time, we are also setting up a company kindergarten in Salzgitter with the City of Salzgitter's teaching kindergarten at the Fredenberg vocational schools (BBS), thus making an important contribution to the compatibility of family and career. In addition, this year we have voluntarily provided more funding for afternoon childcare and for the first time offered childcare for primary school pupils during the summer vacations.

The city of Salzgitter has achieved a great deal so far on its path of consistent and sustainable child, family and education policy. This is the result of 14 working groups that presented their interim results in September. Many thanks to all those who have contributed their time and ideas to actively help shape our city!

Together, we are setting the tone for young and old, because Salzgitter is a modern, lovable city for all generations. We want all citizens to feel at home here. We have a wide variety of offers. That is why we are also setting a variety of urban development accents in the housing on offer. In this way, we want to give both young families and older people the chance to settle down in a family-friendly environment in beautiful surroundings.

The city centers in Lebenstedt and Salzgitter-Bad have also become much more attractive. The council and administration have created the best conditions for this. I would like to mention two successful projects as examples of numerous successful activities: The reopening of the library in Salzgitter-Bad and the current major project in Lebenstedt city center. The first building fences have come down, attractive stores opened in November, more will follow and, together with the long-established stores, they offer excellent shopping opportunities.

It is pleasing to see that more and more people want to make Salzgitter their home. In the past, we were losing 1000 residents a year, but this trend has long since stopped. In the last 12 months, we have only lost a total of 54 people, even though the death rate is unfortunately significantly higher than the birth rate, as is the case in many places. I am delighted that more and more people are deciding to choose Salzgitter as a place to live!

But let's get back to other issues that have been on our minds.

Up to the end of the year, the Council and the administration dealt with the possible buyback of Salzgitter Klinikum GmbH. In the interests of the quality of hospital care in the city and job security, complicated and complex legal and financial issues had to be clarified in recent weeks. The city would have had to pre-finance almost 85 million euros before one or more new partners could have been taken on as shareholders. As is known, the Council decided to waive the right of first refusal at its meeting on December 18. I am sure that Fresenius Helios AG, as the new majority shareholder, is aware of its responsibility for the hospital, its employees and its patients.

Something that has occupied me personally intensively is the issue of direct citizen participation. For example, there has been an open dialog on the future design of the market square in Salzgitter-Bad and the construction of a supermarket in Flachstöckheim with positive results for all sides. I also count the traditionally strong voluntary commitment in Salzgitter as part of citizen participation. Thousands of young people, women and men are involved in associations and clubs, thus promoting a sense of togetherness in the city, be it in social, sporting, economic or cultural areas. I continue to see the good coexistence of cultures and religions in our city, which offers no room for xenophobia and racism, as exemplary.

One more word on the future viability of our city: I am not against regional cooperation, on the contrary: the Alliance for the Region has established itself largely with my involvement. I am also convinced that we can achieve a lot together! We are happy to contribute our strength as an independent city with its special significance as a regional center!

In my view, these were the main issues that moved our city, but now we are returning to the good news. I wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a successful, happy and healthy 2014. Treat yourself to a few quiet, contemplative days and - here we come full circle - remember the opening quote from Wilhelm Busch. Time moves on, but how we use it is often up to us.

Yours
Frank Klingebiel
Lord Mayor