The spoken word shall prevail.

Dear Members of the Mainz City Council, dear residents of Mainz, ladies and gentlemen,

“The secret to success is understanding others.
It’s a matter of the right chemistry.”

And, as is often the case in a laboratory, this requires preparation, care, and time.

That is why I am particularly pleased to welcome Mayor Günter Beck. Our past has brought us together through our athletic activities at FC Vorwärts Orient. I look forward to this new collaboration—and I’m quite sure that we’ll now be talking about sports fields and facilities far more than we’ll actually be out there using them!

I’d like to welcome our State Minister of the Interior, Michael Ebling: Your authentic manner and the energy you’ve demonstrated over such a long tenure already give me a hopeful outlook on just how fulfilling and valuable my role as mayor can be.

I would also like to once again extend a warm “welcome” to our honorary citizens and to my friend Margit Sponheimer.

I would like to welcome the district mayors, the members of the district advisory councils, the advisory boards, and the committees, as well as the staff of the city administration.

And now to those for whose well-being I have the privilege of working—for whom we all have the privilege of working: Dear residents of Mainz, a thousand thanks to you all! Being elected with 63% of the vote shows me just how self-assured and determined our citizens are to lay the foundation for a shared—and magnificent—future. I, for one, feel both honored and called upon to become the best version of myself for our city.

This inauguration is a special occasion—a wonderful event for our city of Mainz, but frankly also for my dear wife Mandy, my family, my friends, and ultimately for me as well. An event that moves me deeply—a truly beautiful day in my life—and you can be certain: I assume this office with humility and gratitude, with great determination, but also with deep respect for the magnitude of the task ahead.

Dear City Council members, the future is in our hands together. Our mission is Mainz, and together we must ensure that our city becomes even more beautiful, even more climate-friendly, and above all, even more people-centered in the coming years. What defines this city, what it is capable of, and what it should become in the future: The many dedicated people in the administration, politics, and our civic community know this as well.

But I want us to work together to make Mainz a place that attracts and inspires everyone: a place where everyone can envision and afford to start a family here and plan their lives well into old age. And that everyone is so inspired by the positive vision for our hometown that they want to work for Mainz—whether as volunteers or in a career with the city. This—and nothing less—must be our shared goal.

I am convinced, moreover, that this can only succeed through the highest mutual respect! You, dear representatives of the Mainz City Council, can always be assured of my appreciation—as can the many representatives present from the Advisory Board on Migration, the Women’s Office, the Advisory Board for People with Disabilities, the sports and carnival clubs, and the many other initiatives—and of my respect.

Despite all the political profiling, differentiation, and exaggeration necessary in a vibrant democracy, one thing must always be palpable across all groups when it comes to crucial issues: “The right chemistry” will ensure the well-being of the city of Mainz—the mix must be well-balanced and harmonious. We must recognize and value our positive qualities and then apply them in a very targeted manner to foster development and safeguard prosperity and social security for people of all origins and backgrounds.

In this spirit of openness to the world, I naturally want not only to take our citizens seriously and actively involve them—I would very much like to work hand in hand with you, with all of you.
And the most obvious form of citizen participation is involvement in all of our committees: Alongside the City Council, our elected neighborhood councils in particular are a cornerstone of local democracy! This is where the spark of enthusiasm for local participation lies, and this is where the strength of local politics lies: communication at the grassroots level, outside the “big” world of politics. This must be taken seriously—in all our interests and despite all the associated efforts—if we are to jointly prevent destructive political elements from gaining further strength in the future.

Almost exactly five years ago, the first and so far only referendum in the history of the city of Mainz took place. Through the subsequent workshop at the Gutenberg Museum, we as a city community had an excellent experience and reached a consensus that we’re all happy with today. This served as the impetus for greater citizen participation in our city.

Today, we have the opportunity to take participation to a whole new level: The guidelines on citizen participation adopted last year. With Mainzer Mobilität, we have an experienced partner that has just launched a public engagement process on the tram expansion. And I’m looking forward to the Government District Forum, which will begin advising on the design of the area surrounding the castle starting in April. But I am especially looking forward to the further expansion of youth participation. And I am pleased that, following intensive public participation, we are now taking the important final step toward finalizing the central project for our downtown: Ludwigsstraße. Here, we must now demonstrate just how powerful participation is and how much value it can add to our city.

We must make our democracy tangible and experiential—for all age groups, but especially for the youngest among us. More democracy, more togetherness, more solidarity. That is our—typically Mainz-style—response to radicalization and indifference.

I look forward to a productive, open, and trusting collaboration in which we see ourselves collectively as the driving force, enabling our city to become an even stronger driving force for the entire region.

On the one hand, this means that we live up to the equation: The stronger our city, the stronger the region!
And that is why I view all major investments in our city’s future—whether publicly or privately funded—as investments in a sustainable and meaningful future for the region as well. A shared, reliable, and sustainable mobility system with the district, along with increased cooperation in the areas of housing and education, is essential for our rapidly growing region. I would therefore like to further strengthen or resume intermunicipal cooperation in the future, particularly with our surrounding communities.

As I said recently: Rheinhessen doesn’t begin just beyond Ebersheim and Finthen. Rheinhessen begins right on the banks of our Rhine. And Mainz is our region’s anchor to the Rhine-Main area—though not officially on the right bank of the Rhine, we remain a bridgehead.

Furthermore, I am aware that we are continuing to build this city on the foundation laid by our predecessors. This foundation in Mainz is very stable—especially in today’s world—thanks in part to our expertise in biotechnology, and it offers us a very reliable basis for moving forward with a forward-looking perspective, mindful of our Mainz identity and armed with new ideas. Science, research, and development—that is Mainz’s DNA, rooted in the tradition of Gutenberg. The city must integrate more closely with its research institutions, adopt a more international orientation, and make our knowledge physically visible throughout the city. This applies to both our historical and our current achievements. Throughout history, Mainz has always held significance beyond the region: The expansion of the Gutenberg Museum should be just one important step toward a culture and tourism strategy presented with a unified voice.

With the opening of LEIZA this Friday, new opportunities are opening up for historic Mainz—we’ve known for several years now that we are the city of the two cathedrals! I highly recommend a visit to St. Johannis. I want to help these and other cultural treasures flourish and make them known beyond our region by the end of my term in office.

Effective leadership is essential to our shared success. In this way, I want to help ensure that our collective efforts can be shaped by healthy, committed, and satisfied people. My vision for leadership in the future is, above all, a willingness to cooperate. However, a good, modern leadership culture also includes genuine employee participation. I want to introduce ongoing communication and efficient idea management even more clearly into our administration, in close coordination with the staff councils. Only with a workforce that feels heard and is in good spirits will we be able to shape our city for the future.

I want to—and will—take responsibility for bringing people together. Our rich city history provides us, across generations, with a strong sense of identity and the energy to tackle the many challenges that lie ahead. And we can now address these challenges; after decades of financial constraints, we can finally shape our future. We all now bear responsibility for what, to my knowledge, is the greatest gift ever bestowed on a municipality in Germany. And from my own experience, I can tell you: handling great fortune and great gifts requires a great deal of discipline and even more responsible foresight. THAT is not easy and will only succeed if we work together to make the most of this incredible opportunity: Together with our housing authority, we must now create a reliable home with family-friendly and affordable housing.
We must develop our city to be future-proof: with modern digital working conditions and a high level of appreciation for our municipal workforce.

We can now sustainably combine economic growth with climate protection and keep Mainz a great place to live for people of all ages.
Because we need people in our state capital: Just to compensate for retirements and staff shortages in the city administration, we’ll need approximately 6,000 new employees by 2035. This has a massive impact on us in the areas of municipal education and childcare facilities, the administration in general, and many other municipal tasks. This is a task that is essential for maintaining trust in our city. And I am convinced that you will all do your utmost to support me on these recruitment issues—from internal measures to staff housing! The issue of the skilled labor shortage affects us, the people of Mainz, more and more every day—but what defines us as Mainz residents is that we don’t just sit around worrying; we prefer to roll up our sleeves and get to work.

I want to lead the way: with a city that presents itself professionally and positively across all relevant channels—both traditional and social media—showcasing its treasures and qualities; a city that tackles the mammoth task of modern digital administration and becomes a pioneer in what people long for: That we demonstrate how effectively we operate as an administration and as policymakers when we debate the issues and put the well-being of Mainz at the center. Do good and talk about it—that must be our Mainz way, and it will inspire people to join us in our city.

And do you know what’s even better than making the most of this gift of the present—our financial flexibility?
Laying the groundwork now so that we can remain strong in the long term and invest heavily in our social cohesion.

For me, investments in education and training are essential to ensuring that the people of Mainz can look to the future with optimism in these times. To achieve this, we in Mainz must lead the way here as well: language and education programs will not be affordable for all municipalities after the COVID-19 pandemic—but we should make them a priority! The same goes for revitalizing apprenticeship programs in collaboration with local partners such as the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) or the Chamber of Crafts. For the future and our generational projects in biotechnology or the expansion of renewable energy, skilled workers in these very fields are just as important as our connections to Johannes Gutenberg University or our Max Planck Institutes.

But as the state capital, we should also be able to exert all our influence on the state. When we talk about local self-government, we must also be able to “govern ourselves.” In many respects, this simply means adapting to the realities of life: Of course, we still have room for improvement internally within the administration when it comes to modern work methods, working from home, or flexible work hours.

But filling urgently needed planning positions in the building administration or hiring staff in the education sector cannot be adequately achieved along the border with Hesse and Wiesbaden using the same pay scales that already make it difficult in the more rural areas of Rhineland-Palatinate. Here, we must quickly agree on solutions with the state and the Municipal Employers’ Association.

Because if we want to build a reliable future, if we want to instill optimism about the future in young and old alike, and if we want to keep Mainz livable and innovative through holistic urban development in line with our climate goals by 2035, we need this leeway to act; we need the potential of well-educated people, and we must fight for this together.

As mayor, I won’t be able to achieve this alone—and neither will you as city council members. You and I, the ADMINISTRATION, and the many VOLUNTEERS organized in clubs and initiatives—together, we possess an enormous amount of expertise. And we will be able to benefit from that. This will only work if we can value one another. But for this communication and coordination to work, we need modern digital infrastructure citywide and the best possible working conditions.

Together with our Digitalization Advisory Board, we must now quickly develop concepts that will allow us as a city to work more efficiently, ease the burden on city employees, and make us a pioneer in the field of digital, collaborative work methods.

In addition, there are many dedicated people in all sectors and great potential in academia, business, culture, and sports. Through strengthened collaboration, the right dynamic in our discussions, trust, and a genuine interest in people’s needs, I want to harness our potential. “If you want to be in politics, you have to realize that you have to like people,” said Bruno Kreisky, the long-serving Austrian chancellor. What sounds trite sometimes requires courage and perseverance, conviction, and a great deal of idealism.

My goal is to be an approachable, nonpartisan, persuasive, and energetic mayor for the people of Mainz. I will use my dedication and determination to make Mainz even more attractive, even more successful, and even more people-centered in the coming years—together with you.

To that end, I extend my hand to all of you today, and I wish you all every success in our shared endeavors starting today.

Thank you for your patient attention; now, at last, it’s back to the normal workday—and that’s when the right chemistry between us will count—and, as you know, I’m quite familiar with chemistry …