The special session of the Rieder municipal council on Wednesday evening in the town hall was eagerly awaited, the OÖN reported that this was mainly about the possible dismissal of the current technical managing director of Energie Ried, Anton Eckschlager, and the appointment of a new managing director.
However, the public was excluded by a majority decision of the municipal council. Much to the displeasure of the around 20 listeners, including numerous employees of Energie Ried. “This is crazy,” said one when leaving the hall.
demand for transparency
Before the vote on the exclusion of the public came, however, speeches were still permitted. These came exclusively from those in favor of a public debate. “Energie Ried is the largest and most important company in the town of Ried. We have a responsibility for the assets, so such decisions can only be made openly and transparently. Energy is a hot topic, you only have to look to Vienna. The public has the right to know what we are discussing and deciding here,” said Green City Councilor and Energie Ried Supervisory Board member Lukas Oberwagner.
SPÖ City Councilor Sebastian Forstner also made a clear statement. “For me, the exclusion of the public doesn’t work, after all the company belongs to everyone in Rieder. Therefore, from my point of view, it is an obligation to hold this meeting in public,” said Forstner, adding: “There will be decisions that will have a major impact. If you decide to release the managing director despite an ongoing contract, you may have to continue paying him for three years. With this money you could pay the electricity for 700 families. To date, I have not received any information or documents that the managing director is accused of at all.”
“Before the election, everyone made the issue of transparency a major part of the party program and said that citizens had a right to information.” Neos municipal councilor Günter Kitzmüller argued that not much was left of that.
You can read more about the meeting and reactions in the OÖN on Friday
Source: Nachrichten
