OÖN: After your election victory you said that this was the moment when you started to re-plan your life. What is the balance of this replanning after a year?
Margit Angerlehner: You know the tasks of a mayor, but you don’t know a thousand little things. My everyday life changed completely because I ended up in the absolute learning phase.
Has your experience as an entrepreneur helped you?
Economic thinking helps me, for example with the budget. But I had to learn that politicians need many more stations before a decision is made. The paths are different and they must be followed.
Does the absolute majority make governing easier?
It would be easier in principle, but I’ve never needed it. Because it is important to me that the work is done in the committees and in the municipal board, that issues are properly discussed there. Almost everything passed unanimously in the municipal council. I don’t believe in battle votes.
Which of your ideas did you implement in the first year?
We modernized the community to be an attractive place to work. A big issue for me was that we have enough staff in the childcare facilities. I wanted Meals on Wheels to be offered on days when our own school kitchen should have been closed. We still cook ourselves and can now also provide this during the holidays and weekends for Meals on Wheels.
Which projects are pending?
We are not a financially strong church, which makes it difficult. Oftering is a very nice local recreation and residential community, but we need more income. We are about to undergo a major renovation of the elementary school, which is housed in an old building. We have two fire brigades, which is nice because there are a lot of young people, but also challenging because we have to finance a new emergency vehicle last year and next year. In the medium-term financial plan, we have planned a leisure facility near the sports field, where we want to offer something for young people.
Inflation is the big issue. What does it look like there?
We still have a good energy contract until the summer. Otherwise we are gas heaters, which is not good. We have to think about something. Everything about the street lamps has been switched to LED. We may turn off the lights between 11pm and 5am. We are currently considering that. We still have homework to do because we are only just beginning with photovoltaic systems.
Source: Nachrichten
