My special greetings go to the honorary citizens present today, Mr. Georg Obst and Mr. Rudolf Rückert, and the honorary councillors Fritz Arlt, Norbert Bürgel, Horst Körner, Werner Maschke, Lutz Miehe-Steinbach, Hans Spaltenberger, Klaus Steffen, Ernst Weidl and Harry Wildemann, as well as my predecessor in office and honorary councillor Helmut Knebel!
I would like to extend a warm welcome to the elected ladies and gentlemen of this body, especially those who have been newly elected to the City Council and are attending their first Council meeting today. I very much hope that you will settle in here quickly and familiarize yourselves with the work of the Council, the committees and the political groups.
I would like to congratulate you and the re-elected members of the Council on your election to the Council.
You have received the trust of the voters in the Kommunalwahl! You have been entrusted with an important office.
You, the elected members, are called upon to stand up for the well-being of the city of Salzgitter and its citizens and to drive forward the development of our city.
In doing so, you have taken on a responsible task with your mandate and are also obliged to act in the interests of our fellow citizens.
It is clear to me:
You, the elected representatives of the people, all belong to a political party or group of voters who have a fundamental political orientation through their programs and objectives. In view of our democratic constitution, this is good and right. By participating in a party or voter group on a voluntary basis, you have taken on responsibility for others and are actively involved in shaping the community.
However, parties and voter groups are not an end in themselves. This means that the aim cannot and must not be to secure or increase the influence and power of a party or electoral group. Rather, they, the elected representatives of the people, must fulfill their mandate to the best of their knowledge and belief in an impartial manner for the benefit of the citizens of the city of Salzgitter.
I therefore ask you to be guided by constructive factual work and not by ideological trench warfare!
As was the case in the last electoral term, successful performance of tasks once again requires open, honest and trusting political cooperation in the Council, which I certainly offer to every member of the Council, every parliamentary group and every group of voters.
There will certainly be differences of opinion from time to time. This is completely normal. The only decisive factor is how we deal with these differences of opinion!
It is a good democratic custom to deal with conflicts openly in debates, but always above the belt!
But it is also part of the essence of our democracy to listen to and respect other opinions in peace. Ultimately, the majority decides! But this majority is also responsible for the consequences of its decisions!
The primary goal of all of us should be to ensure that our town of Salzgitter remains an attractive community in which many people - including those from other backgrounds - feel comfortable and at home.
With this in mind, good luck and God's help for your work!