|
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
| Home About Contact | ||
|
Great Incomprehension in the Weißenfels City Council – Meeting of October 9, 2025It was once again time to pay the Weißenfels City Council a visit with the camera in hand. 
At the initiative of City Council Chairman Ekkart Günther (CDU), the entrance to the meeting hall was reserved exclusively for invited guests. I may be “charged” now and then myself, but last Thursday I was comparatively relaxed. So I went one floor up to the gallery, where the press is now also allowed to take their place. Everything is very cramped – there’s no legroom to speak of – but one can quite literally look down on the elected servants of the people and observe what some of them are doing on their tablets or laptops. The chairman apparently prefers to keep his distance from the rabble... uh, I mean, the citizens. Transparency? Not a Chance!I couldn’t help but smirk right at the start. City Council Chairman Ekkart Günther (CDU) asked who among the councillors did not wish to appear on video. He and a female councillor from the CDU faction raised their hands. I honestly don’t know what, or even if, I’m supposed to do with this information. Günther claimed that the matter was thus settled. But with whom exactly? Certainly not with me.As a precaution, I filed an objection prior to the publication of the video recording—assuming it even qualifies as an administrative act. So far, neither Ekkart Günther (CDU) nor the city administration have deemed it necessary to comply with my request to explain in writing why, in the past, every effort seems to have been made to hinder video recordings by all possible means. Ekkart Günther (CDU) thus continues to struggle with the concepts of democracy and transparency toward the citizens and voters of the city of Weißenfels. After the dispute I have already had with him on this very issue, this remains incomprehensible to me. Discontent Over the Swimming PoolSome council members expressed irritation over an article in the *Mitteldeutsche Zeitung* concerning the swimming pool. Although the agenda item belonged to the mayor, Ekkart Günther (CDU) handed the floor to council member Jörg Riemer (CDU). Before the meeting, the faction leaders were hastily handed a document rejecting the accusations and so-called “disinformation” published by the *Mitteldeutsche Zeitung* (see video). Shouldn’t this have been a separate agenda item?Noise in ReichardtswerbenCitizens from Reichardtswerben expressed further frustration. Local youths regularly use the village square at night as a meeting point, causing a noise disturbance for nearby residents. There is, in fact, a designated space for young people—but it’s unlit. The citizens asked whether this could be changed. Apparently, this issue has existed for quite some time.A Chairman Without DistanceLooking at how Ekkart Günther (CDU) conducted the council meeting, one could also express a certain incomprehension. He appears to feel very close to the mayor and the administration. He offered praise, congratulations, and agreement to more than one of their statements. Certainly, one need not be at each other’s throats in the city council, but it is the council’s duty to oversee the administration and the mayor, to question and scrutinize their actions. One could easily get the impression that the chairman sees things differently. A bit more distance would be entirely appropriate.Little Transparency in Council ResolutionsEkkart Günther (CDU) took plenty of speaking time to comment on and evaluate others’ statements. In contrast, he took no time to read out the texts of the resolutions again. Each time, it was merely stated that the documents were available to the councillors. Yet for the sake of public understanding and transparency, it would be important to have them read aloud. Ines Veith, of the BfW/Rural Communities faction, who was temporarily assigned to chair one of the agenda items, even described it as a privilege not to have to read the text of the resolution aloud. From my point of view, that is incomprehensible.Facebook Comments and Freedom of ExpressionNumerous Facebook comments about the Neustadt Festival once again caused consternation for Mayor Martin Papke. Many of them, he said, were very negative. He indicated that the city might reserve the right to take legal action against certain comments. It gave the impression that the political trend of restricting freedom of speech is viewed here with a degree of approval.Acoustic Chaos in the Meeting HallAnyone who watches the video recording will notice a great deal of unintelligibility. Some might even fear suffering “ear cancer” again. Despite my many previous complaints about the hall’s acoustics, the city of Weißenfels still hasn’t managed to adjust the sound system so that one can follow the proceedings without strain. For guests and the press up on the gallery, this is particularly difficult. Even Ekkart Günther (CDU) acknowledged that some parts were acoustically incomprehensible.The handheld microphone also failed to work. At times, what was said without a microphone was easier to understand than what was spoken into one. Just a few kilometers north—in Merseburg and the Saalekreis district—one can see that the issue of intelligibility is handled far better. And so, once again, we are left with the same old incomprehension: why can’t the city of Weißenfels fix its incomprehensibility—or, as I interpret it, why doesn’t it want to? Author: AI-Translation - Michael Thurm | |
|
| Other articles: |
 | Their struggle to be manipulatedAre we being manipulated? Of course, every day. Marketing departments work intensively on this. But politics also does this daily, together with media that support their agenda. An... zum Artikel |
 | The Dream of Winning the Lottery – A Medieval PerspectiveEven in the Middle Ages, life was a tough mix of farming, plague, and a constant fear that your neighbor might accuse you of witchcraft just because you didn’t have diarrhea for ... zum Artikel |
 | Fighting for Democracy with Convicted Criminals – or: Because They Don’t Know What They’re Quacking About!Why do some rather extreme characters online ally themselves with criminals and crank up the volume to agitate against the opposition?... zum Artikel |
|
Support the operation of this website with voluntary contributions: via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/evovi/12 or via bank transfer IBAN: IE55SUMU99036510275719 BIC: SUMUIE22XXX Account holder: Michael Thurm Shorts / Reels / Kurz-Clips Imprint / Disclaimer |