After six years as city councilor, Klaus Heilinglechner wants to know again: he is running again as mayor for Wolfratshausen.
Wolfratshausen - Six years ago, Klaus Heilinglechner was in the middle of the election campaign. At that time, the organic farmer received our newspaper in work clothes and with tools in his all-purpose trousers. Shortly afterwards, Weidach became mayor - and since then has not only changed his appearance. Today the 52-year-old appears in a dark blue jacket, on the lapel the city coat of arms. Heilingchner carries it out of conviction. "I love Wolfratshausen," he emphasized when he was again nominated by the Wolfratshausen Citizens' Association (BVW).
Klaus Heilinglechner: "I love Wolfratshausen"
Heilinglechner sits at the dining table of his house in Weidach, which was built in 1840, and looks relaxed when he talks about his previous term. Occasionally a mischievous smile flits across his face. One could almost think that the past six years have been largely stress-free.
But it wasn't quite like that: right at the beginning of his term in office, the Wolfratshausers refused to build a new archive on the banks of the Loisach. Shortly afterwards, his heart project, a citizens 'shop in the city building at Untermarkt 10, failed in a citizens' decision. His former chief secretary was convicted of embezzlement. The private construction project at the former Isar department store in the old town has been suspended due to a pending court case.
2020 local elections: Heilinglechner does not want to be a party politician
And again and again the mayor is caught in the crossfire. “Sometimes you have experiences that you don't want to have,” says Heilinglechner. He had to nibble on some so that he woke up at night and doubted his opinion. Most of the time he came to the conclusion that he wanted to stay true to his line. Many a political adversary interpreted this as a stubbornness. He sees it differently: "If I am convinced of something but still remain open to changes, it is not a stubbornness."
Heilingechner recognized another characteristic as supposed weakness. "I am not a party political person," he emphasizes. He actually sees that as a good thing. Nevertheless, the head of the town hall stumbled over events that he classified as party politics. For example, that "other political groups have deliberately opposed the citizens' association" and so he was unable to find a majority because BVW has only nine out of 25 votes. The moderation between the groups is part of his job, as is the preparation of meetings. The headwind came not only from the outside: Heilinglechner's political foster father, predecessor and co-founder of BVW Helmut Forster also turned his back on him after internal disputes.
Cows as a balance to the office job and study of files
"Hard" were some setbacks, "but you learn to deal with it." The 52-year-old is now trying to smile away criticism, which he usually succeeds. "A certain grounding" and "a skin made of Gore-Tex" are needed for this. If she gets a scratch, the father of three grown children swings on his bike and starts kicking. Or, like every morning, he goes into the stable to his remaining cows. He is the third generation to run the farm. He has sold a large part of the cattle since taking office, "but I keep a few," says the 52-year-old. The cows are a balance to the office job and the study of files.
The latter two aspects are probably not among the City Hall chief's preferred occupations. He prefers to be among people. If he cites the landlord festival and the "ice age" on the old raft area as emotional highlights of his tenure, it becomes clear that Heilinglechner particularly appreciates the social component of his profession. "As a mayor, one should not seek loneliness." That was not his nature anyway. He enjoyed the office. "But I'm not sticking to it." Rather, he has the feeling that he has not yet finished. "I would like to continue our projects for the city and for the citizens." He was incorporated, a new mayor "would take months for this".
"As a mayor, one should not seek loneliness"
Social housing, the redesign of the old town, joint planning with the neighboring town of Geretsried - all projects that will continue to accompany the city council for a long time. "Many positive decisions" have been made in the past six years. Positive decisions that are often not perceived as such "because some are looking for a needle in a haystack". Heilinglechner is not a bad guy. Even if the long-time organic dairy farmer is very familiar with haystacks.
But Klaus Heilinglechner has competition: Annette Heinloth from the Greens, social democrat Manfred Menke and Günther Eibl (CSU) also want to be mayor in Loisachstadt.
dst