Carola Schouten officially takes over the chain of office from Ahmed Aboutaleb today. The new mayor of Rotterdam will have organized crime, the immense port and three football clubs on her plate, but will also have to connect a divided city – rich and poor, left and right. ”The right tone and a small ego can help. We have had enough egos in Rotterdam,” says AD journalist Wessel Penning.
Rotterdammers are ready for the new wind that Schouten will most likely blow. “Everyone is proud that it is finally a woman. New leadership. But also loving, practical, involved. It can form the connection between the Coolsingel (where the city hall is located, ed.) and the neighborhoods,” says ombudsman of Rotterdam Marianne van den Anker, for example.
Connection is needed on several fronts. The Christian Union mayor faces a tough job, says AD journalist Penning. “You get two power blocs in this city. Leefbaar Rotterdam (right, ed.) and GroenLinks-PvdA. There are some howler monkeys on both sides. In between you also get Denk,” he says in Goedemorgen Nederland on NPO 1.
Albert Heijn or Dirk
Schouten, a single mother from the Delfshave district, has known poverty in her life. Penning thinks this can contribute to her policy. “Go to the Dirk in Delfshaven or the Albert Heijn in Hillegersberg. Then you understand the world.”
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After the Hamas attack on October 7, Mayor Aboutaleb refused to raise the Israeli flag. He came under a lot of criticism. How will Schouten deal with such a division? Penning: “The right tone and a small ego can help a lot. We’ve had enough egos in Rotterdam. It’s good that someone is working with a different style.”
‘She lands well’
Schouten awaits a warm welcome in Rotterdam. “She lands very well. It is an appointment supported by the city. That’s how I feel. That is the perfect start for a new mayor,” says former mayor of the Maasstad Ivo Opstelten.
Christian Union celebrity Schouten previously held ministerial positions and was deputy prime minister. Opstelten therefore has confidence in her mayoralty. What accent will she place? “I think she primarily focuses on the safety portfolio and she quickly familiarizes herself with that. She will also pay attention to the social problems in the South based on her experience and her natural drive. She will also focus on the port. She is good at leading foreign missions, which she also did in the past as a minister. The business community will be happy with her.”
Also read:
Rotterdam residents are overjoyed with new mayor Carola Schouten, but she can be ‘tough as hell’
By: Michiel van Renselaar