Dear fellow citizens,

When I wrote my Christmas 2020 greetings a year ago, I - like many of you - was full of confidence that the pandemic would be over by the end of 2021 and coronavirus would no longer be an issue. After all, exactly 12 months ago, our municipal vaccination center was already in the starting blocks and started the first vaccinations in retirement and nursing homes on 30 December 2020. However, reality quickly caught up with us all and made it clear that the fight against the pandemic, with its incredible complexity and emotionality, presented and continues to present even our highly developed Germany with one of its greatest challenges.

At the beginning of the year, there was initially not enough vaccine. This vaccine shortage forced the federal government and the state government to prioritize vaccination dates, first for vulnerable groups and then for those working in critical infrastructure. Not all citizens who were willing to be vaccinated were able to receive a vaccination immediately, but had to wait until it was their "turn" after prioritization. In general, we all endured this in a very disciplined manner and coped well. Many thanks and great respect for the solidarity shown!

Then there was enough vaccine for everyone, prioritization was lifted and everyone who was willing to be vaccinated against corona received their first vaccination in mid-2021 and their second vaccination very quickly. However, it also became clear in August/September 2021 that the goal of getting the coronavirus under control through a high vaccination rate failed and continues to fail because not all citizens are willing to be vaccinated. At the same time, the coronavirus continued to mutate, spread in a different form and ensured that we in Salzgitter also had to contend with the highest number of new infections in Germany or the country at times and "everyone" expected us to provide understandable and, above all, reassuring explanations for this. At this point, I would like to remind you of the very difficult situation of the curfew in Salzgitter in spring 2021. We have ensured transparency and comprehensive communication - my crisis team and I have also evaluated the coronavirus situation very intensively and around the clock over the course of this year and made the necessary decisions on site after weighing up the interests involved - sometimes in conflict with the federal and state governments - and explained them to the public.

Nevertheless, we must attest to this: First, second, third, fourth wave of corona and supposedly no end in sight with "Omikron"; In addition, nationwide "patchwork quilts" due to the different state regulations, "regulatory confusion" and difficult-to-understand state and federal regulations, vaccination and testing centers set up locally with a lot of commitment, which were dismantled at the end of September 2021 due to the federal government's decision and rebuilt shortly afterwards by us on our own responsibility, months of free citizen testing, which then became chargeable and is now being paid for by the state again, the end of the epidemic situation of national importance in November 2021, although no one seriously felt that the situation had eased, and much more. And it is currently becoming clear that the second vaccination must be followed quickly by at least a third vaccination in order to achieve greater immunity in the population. That is why we are pushing ahead with booster vaccinations at full speed. This is difficult for all of us. We are noticing that acceptance of the protective measures and the vaccination campaign is now also "suffering" in the middle of society.

All the more reason for me to ask you:

For all your displeasure about further contact restrictions and about waiting times for your vaccinations or tests, do not lose faith in the state bodies and our democracy! Continue to exercise patience and solidarity! Only together will we be able to defeat the coronavirus and keep our urban society together!

I would like to use the following example to illustrate the difficulties that may cause you to "shake your head", but also show that we can achieve anything despite these difficulties if we continue to stand together:

In September 2021, the federal government decided to handle the coronavirus vaccination exclusively through standard medical care from October 2021, knowing full well that standard medical care makes an important contribution to the vaccination campaign, but that this will not be enough to cover the vaccinations to the extent we need. We municipalities criticized this decision vehemently, but at the same time we municipalities also stepped in again with a great deal of effort and creativity together with our aid organizations to help the vaccination campaign succeed after all. Our municipal vaccination center also reopened in mid-October 2021 - first with mobile teams and then on site in Hans-Birnbaum-Straße - and resumed its extremely successful work. Our record is impressive: The stationary vaccination center in Hans-Birnbaum-Straße, supported by our vaccination bus and, more recently, by the vaccination station in Salzgitter-Bad, and numerous doctors in private practice have administered 160,000 doses of vaccine in Salzgitter this year!

A small success story, but the bitter realization remains: the vast majority of the population has been vaccinated, kept their distance and restricted contacts, done everything possible both professionally and privately to get us out of this corona crisis quickly, and must now realize that we are still a long way from leaving "corona" behind us.

Figuratively speaking, the corona pandemic is not a mountain that needs to be climbed, but rather an entire mountain range that needs to be conquered.

What comforts me, gives me courage and strengthens me is the certainty that I am not alone on this "rocky road", but that I have many companions by my side.

It is therefore very important to me to say "thank you" to everyone who is keeping our city and our community going in these difficult times:

My thanks go to the employees in the health service, the fire departments, the aid organizations, the clinics, doctors' surgeries, retirement and nursing homes and care services, the municipal public order service and the police, who have been at the forefront of the past pandemic year.

I would like to sincerely thank everyone who, for example in the haulage companies, supermarkets, retail outlets, hairdressing salons and on the buses and trains, did their best every day to ensure that everything we have taken for granted over the years could continue to function.

I would also like to thank all those who, despite the lockdown and contact restrictions, have continued to get involved in their clubs, associations, church communities or simply in the neighborhood and have ensured that humanity and the "we-feeling" have been and continue to be lived and experienced.

We are all proud of you!

Well, and of course there were other important topics this year besides Corona:

In February, we experienced a snow chaos that was predicted but not expected to this extent. Roads were impassable for days on end, and even the snow clearing service, which was on duty almost around the clock, reached its limits. Two weeks later, it was literally water under the bridge again, with the thermometer showing a mild 18 degrees! This was not the only capricious weather this year, as people in the south and west of Germany had to learn the hard way in the middle of summer. Our region was spared, but the people in our city pitched in and helped from afar or locally with numerous campaigns - a wonderful example of community spirit in action!

With a shared sense of responsibility, we can move forward:

The action alliance against Konrad has applied to the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Environment for the withdrawal of the final storage permit and demands that the principle of taking into account the current state of science and technology in such selection decisions, which has been proclaimed so often recently, should also apply to Schacht Konrad instead of referring to a planning approval decision that is over 20 years old and was brought about in a less than transparent procedure. This is not just about public spirit, but also about intergenerational justice. What should the earth we leave to our children and grandchildren look like?

Together with our business partners, we have long since set out to not only support the transformation process towards climate neutrality, but to actively and successfully drive it forward at the forefront.

And the next topic is also about our "little ones": the expansion of daycare centers in Ringelheim, Fredenberg and Lebenstedt continues to pick up speed. However, we also had to overcome difficulties that arose in this area for primary school children: instead of attending school close to home, 46 children from Lebenstedt had to temporarily travel to Gebhardshagen. The administration and politicians have done everything possible to make the transition period as pleasant as possible for the children and parents affected. But an end is in sight: a temporary elementary school in Lebenstedt is in preparation, supported by a considerable amount of funding from the state's integration fund. The topic of integration has fallen somewhat out of the headlines, but we must not forget that this challenge will continue to challenge us in Salzgitter for a long time to come.

This year, we have been very successful in acquiring an enormous amount of funding from the federal and state governments, as well as from the EU, for various projects. Funds that flow because there are sensible municipal concepts behind them, e.g:
Renovation of the Thermalsolbad in Salzgitter-Bad
various projects for sustainable, attractive city centers; on this occasion: thank you very much for taking advantage of our voucher campaign 2.0! You have once again taken on local responsibility and sent an important signal of support for our retail and gastronomy sectors in particular!
New construction of the fire station in Salzgitter-Thiede
Modernization of the alarm system for our fire departments
Strengthening integration work in the district centers

I am also pleased that the go-ahead has been given for the new central building yard of the municipal public works department - without subsidies.

This impressive list is not exhaustive, but it makes it very clear that despite months of lockdown, the world has not stood still in the town hall - just as it has not stood still in urban society.

During this challenging time, you have all had your very own experiences and have endured happy, sad and drastic events.

For me, the most outstanding event was certainly my re-election in September. This impressive election result has confirmed and really pleased me and today I would simply like to thank you once again from the bottom of my heart:

Thank you for the great trust you have once again placed in me! I am honored and delighted!

I wish you a reflective and blessed Christmas and a time between the years in which you have the opportunity to look back, but also to look forward; and for the New Year 2022, I wish you all the best, health, happiness, success and many wonderful moments!

Christ was born into the world to bring light into the darkness. May God's blessing keep you safe and accompany you on all your journeys!

Yours, Frank Klingebiel