As of: February 7, 2024, 1:00 p.m
By: Magdalena Höcherl
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Generational change at the FWG: Erika Wittstock Spona (3rd from left) handed over the chairmanship to Sebastian Röhrig (2nd from right), she continues to act as an assessor.
2nd chairwoman is Beatrix Sebald (r.).
The board also includes (from left) assessor Hilde Seidl, treasurer Günter Herdin and secretary Richard Besner.
© Harry Bruckmeier
After more than 20 years at the helm, Erika Wittstock-Spona is stepping down as chairwoman of the FWG Au/Hallertau.
In the interview she explains her motivations.
Au/Hallertau
– The Free Voters’ Community of Au (FWG) has recently been under new leadership.
After more than two decades, Erika Wittstock-Spona has handed over the chairmanship to Sebastian Röhrig and Beatrix Sebald.
In the interview, the 65-year-old, who works as a human resources manager in a Japanese plant engineering company and has been a member of the FWG since 1999, talks about the highlights of her career, women in politics and the FWG's mayoral recipe.
Ms Wittstock-Spona, why did you resign from office after 21 years as FWG chairwoman?
Everything has it's time.
It's a very good feeling to be able to step down independently after such a long time and to place the work in younger hands.
I am proud that the members gave me leadership responsibility for so long.
That was also my mission to act as a driving force and work on local political issues.
How easy was the decision for you?
Such a decision is not made ad hoc.
It matures and is associated with the search for a successor.
Once the successor could be arranged, the decision was very easy.
It's a good feeling to know that the work will continue in good hands.
The fact that the members voted unanimously for the entire board in the new election was a very good signal for me.
The support of the members is important.
Women in politics are still underrepresented - even more so in the early 2000s than today.
How did you feel about it back then?
When I started getting involved in local politics, I didn't think about how I would be seen as a woman in local politics.
My motivation was to get involved in the market community and to implement projects, even if it takes a lot of patience.
I don't remember any situations where I wasn't taken seriously because I was a woman.
What has changed over the years?
30 percent of the seats in the local council are held by women, which means we are as good or bad as the average in the country.
The fact that women are underrepresented in politics has grown historically and will probably take some time until the stable male groups are weakened.
Perhaps the current situation will encourage more women to become politically active and help ensure that our free basic order is preserved.
This commitment is just as important for the municipality as it is for politics at the state, federal and EU level.
Just saying what you don't like isn't enough.
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Looking back, what were the highlights of your run?
A lot has been implemented in Au during the two decades.
As part of an active local political association, I was able to help shape changes.
I say with a certain amount of pride that the local political work carried out by the FWG in Au is a success story.
I think of the Hopfenlandhalle as a big project.
Our founding father Horst Heidecker discussed the need for such a hall very early on and had to receive a lot of criticism for it at the time.
Unimpressed by such statements, at the beginning of my term in office we began discussing the project in an internal working group and exploring options.
A few years later, this preparatory work resulted in an application to the market town council - the result was inaugurated in 2012.
The first event was my second daughter's graduation ball: a nice start to a long, labor-intensive project.
The secondary school has also kept the market town of Au busy for a long time.
The idea suggested by the Ministry of Culture at the time that communities could secure their school locations if they joined forces and formed priority schools led to a groundbreaking merger in the four northern communities of Au, Nandlstadt, Rudelzhausen and Hörgertshausen.
Ideas were developed, discussions were held and fought together for the “Nandlstadt Middle School – Au Realschule” project – especially our long-time mayor Karl Ecker.
The Au secondary school is a milestone in the school landscape of the northern district.
Are there any highlights apart from completed projects?
Definitely the successes in the local elections.
During my time on the board, I was able to support two FWG mayors - the incumbent Hans Sailer and his predecessor Karl Ecker.
The FWG had the absolute majority of votes in the market council in two periods and has still been the strongest faction since the recent elections - if these are not highlights for a chairwoman.
Even if party politics plays a subordinate role in the municipality and the FWG is not a party, but an association with the aim of making local politics for the Au market, it is still helpful to have a team on your side to ensure that projects succeed .
The FWG has provided the mayor since 1996.
What is the secret recipe?
(
laughs
) I don't know if there's a secret recipe.
Good, consistent candidates for this challenging task and a strong team in the background, both in the local council and through active club members.
This is what is needed in any case so that the mayor's office can be exercised competently and purposefully.
The mayor's offer has convinced the citizens - and it has been very good for Au so far.