Emails to yourself: Poing's new mayor takes stock

Because of Corona, Poing's new mayor Thomas Stark has not yet been able to design the way he wants.

Here he reveals why he writes emails to himself:

When Thomas Stark taps into his cell phone during or shortly after a conversation, he often writes an email to himself. From the cell phone to his office address in the town hall.

"So that I don't forget," says the 55-year-old.

For example, like a few days ago, when a citizen approaches him on the street and points out something, someone has a question or suggestion, Poing's mayor writes this down to himself.

Back at the town hall, he processes the entrances or passes them on to the employees.

“Go out, talk to people, see things for yourself on site”, that is the credo and requirement for yourself and for the employees of the municipal administration.

"Nothing is decided at the table."

I will stay who I am: Thomas.

Poings Mayor Thomas Stark

Go out and talk to the citizens: “I like being around people,” says Thomas Stark, who has been Poing's new mayor since May 1st.

He replaced Albert Hingerl (SPD), who had not run for election after 20 years in office.

Stark has literally changed sides: As the managing director of the town hall and advisor to the mayor, he has sat in the office to the left of the mayor's office for the past two decades.

Now he's sitting in the mayor's office to the right.

In an initial assessment after a good five months, he says: “As a mayor, you have to be flexible with your working hours.” An office job like the one before is now no longer.

Wallet handover at the weekend

Example: In the town hall mailbox there was a bulging wallet including credit card, ID and more.

Somebody found it and threw it in.

The owner lives in Poing, but is not here during the week, says Stark.

So he offered the citizen to give him the wallet at the town hall on the weekend.

Public service hours or not.

Design instead of manage

When Thomas Stark announced in May 2019 that he would run for the office of mayor as a party member on the CSU list, he named the motivation: "I no longer just want to manage, but to shape." Unfortunately, because of Corona, he has not yet had that many Had opportunities.

For example culture: Stark would like more projects and events.

He has enough ideas, but because of the corona pandemic, implementation is currently not possible.

Events planned before Stark's term of office, such as the “Long Night of Emotions”, which was planned for next Saturday, have to be canceled, as well as the Christmas market.

Stark is hoping for the future and speaks of more events on the market square, among other things.

"Activity band" on Bergfeldstrasse

Tackling instead of waiting, he still tries to do it wherever possible despite Corona.

Be it for little things like setting up plant troughs on the new S-Bahn underpass or on the newly designed village square in Poing-Süd, be it new benches at bus stops.

The next, larger projects that he wants to implement as soon as possible: the bicycle traffic concept and the community's youth concept.

Both, says the mayor, shouldn't just be on paper.

In the course of the new development areas W7 (Lerchenwinkel) and W8, an “activity band” is planned along Bergfeldstrasse, with locations and spaces also for young people.

Because, as the mayor knows, there aren't too many offers for young people in Poing.

He is thinking about expanding the program in the youth center.

Not only for young people, but also for adults, for example with public concerts and other events.

So far there has only been one such with the annual “Ü33 party” of the private initiative “Weltstadtvorstadt mit Herz”.

This also has to pause for the time being due to Corona.

Lion fan and member of the "Poinger Löwen"

Of course, the mayor's duties also include dry things such as the household of the municipality of Poing.

Whether and what effects the corona crisis has on finances is currently being examined.

Thanks to a trade tax back payment of 26.4 million euros, Poing should come out of the crisis relatively well, believes Stark.

Even if he is now mayor, nothing changes for his personal environment: “I will remain who I am: Thomas.” He recently said that at the regulars' table of the TSV 1860 Munich fan club “Poinger Löwen”, where he has been a member since it was founded in January 2018.

Altered to Poing's new mayor, the motto of the association from Giesing (“Once a lion, always a lion”) could be: Once Thomas, always Thomas.