Black-red-blue race for the mayoral office in Holzhausen

Two weeks after the EU elections, the citizens of Holzhausen will once again be called to the polls. On Sunday they will decide on the successor to VP Mayor Andreas Ströbitzer, who was killed in early February at the age of just 45.

The favorite in the ÖVP-dominated municipality is lawyer Andrea Hubmer (distribution of seats in the municipal council: VP: 7 seats, SP: 3, FP: 2, Greens: 1). If the 47-year-old wins the election, she would be the second female mayor in the Wels-Land district. Only in Offenhausen does a woman, Martina Schmuckermayer, already head the municipality. “It would be nice if the female touch was more common in politics,” says the mother of two sons, who is married to the chief public prosecutor in Wels, Christian Hubmer. One important issue that she wants to address is road safety. “That was also a big topic during the home visits; unfortunately, we have become a popular route for through traffic,” says Hubmer, who has been her party’s parliamentary group leader for five years. There is a need for action here. She is also planning a new attempt for the cycle path to Marchtrenk and wants to talk to the landowners. The expropriation proceedings were annulled by the regional administrative court for formal reasons. She also wants to adjust the opening hours of the kindergarten, which closes at 3 p.m., if parents request them.

SP candidate Mario Eggetsberger had already run in the mayoral election in 2021 and achieved almost 30 percent. “If I can achieve that again, I would be happy with the result,” says the 49-year-old, who works at Borealis in Linz and has two sons. One of his goals is to better integrate the Holzhausen residents who have moved to the area into local and club life. He describes himself as a club member who is also chairman of the sports club. “Due to the influx of people, we also have to continue to expand and maintain the entire infrastructure,” says Eggetsberger. It is also important to him to bring life back to the village inn. “The community should support this so that a tenant can start again.”

Tino Andrea Fraccaroli, the parliamentary group leader, is running for the Freedom Party. The 34-year-old, whose family roots are in Italy, works in quality assurance and as a photographer at starlim sterner. He says of his election goal: “Anything over 20 percent would be a success for the first time.” When there was no opponent to Hubmer in March, he decided to run. “The population should at least have the choice between two candidates, so it’s all the better that there are now three running in this race.” He criticizes the VP’s solo effort in the “overpriced purchase” of the Wolfsegger House and the approach to the footpath and cycle path to Marchtrenk, which he says was an embarrassment for the community.

Voting closes at 12 noon on Sunday.