“This parking lot will be subject to a fee from 2023! Fight back! Stop the rip-off by the city of Gmunden! Tell the mayor what you think!” That’s on a note that an unknown person posted yesterday at the cemetery parking lot. In addition, the telephone number and e-mail address of Mayor Stefan Krapf (ÖVP).
The problem with this: The municipality does not even think about charging for the parking lot. “I assume that someone is spreading false rumors on purpose, because that’s not the only false report that’s currently making the rounds in the city,” says Mayor Krapf.
One could shake one’s head and dismiss the matter. But from the point of view of the town hall, it’s not that simple, because the false rumors have concrete consequences. “My office worker has to take angry calls all day tomorrow, and the e-mails I get are often not quotable,” says Krapf.
What the slanders and false rumors have in common is that they all come from anonymous sources. And they also go private. Meanwhile, reputation-damaging false rumors are also circulating about Krapf’s family.
At City Hall, those responsible rack their brains over how to deal with this form of aggression. Above all, the mayor himself. “I think this development is very questionable,” says Krapf. “It fuels aggression and undermines our cohesion. I’ll say quite frankly that it’s now also a personal burden for me.”
Source: Nachrichten
