Franz Fetzer: Aalen's tireless questioner and honorary award winner!

Franz Fetzer: Aalen's tireless questioner and honorary award winner!

Franz Fetzer, an active member of the free voters and former teachers, has been involved in local politics for 15 years. His open manner and motto "There are no stupid questions" made him a well -known face in the municipal council and in the various committees. He currently caused a sensation when he questioned a cartoon in a presentation by police officer James Smith for security in Aalen. He asked the question of the "picture with the red car", which led to a detailed explanation by Mayor Frederick Brütting and Smith. As part of this discussion, it was also clarified that the “green males” represent police officers in the picture and that the “laser” was identified as a laser flash.

In addition to his questions about security, Fetzer was also interested in the fire service requirements plan and the "Lülf+" office. He learned that it was the name of the founder Uwe-Wolf Lülf. With a dash of creativity, he said that "Lülf+" could stand for fire, exercise and conductor vehicles. In the technical committee there was an amusing moment when a box that was initially identified as a sparkling wine contained dry white wine from Italy. The wine was part of a bulk order with a CDU city council.

honor for commitment

As part of his many years of work in local politics, Franz Fetzer was awarded the greatest award in the city of Aalen for his commitment to the large honor badge in silver. The honor was made by Mayor Thilo Rentschler, who recognized Fetzer's deployment in Wasseralfinger such as the Röthardt men's singing club and his commitment as a conférencier at the Wasserfinger Festival.

Fetzer originally entered the Wasseralfingen local council in October 2000 and was initially part of the Grünen faction. He later switched to the free voters and is still active in the local council without interruption. In 2014 he was elected to the Aalen municipal council and has since addressed numerous topics, and also not spared critical comments.

The challenge of local politics

The role of local politicians like Fetzer is of central importance, even if the framework conditions are often challenging. In Germany there are over 200,000 volunteer local politicians who work in addition to their regular job on financial plans, building applications and regulations. Despite this active participation, surveys show that many politicians experience hostility and threats, especially in regions of Saxony and Brandenburg, where campaigners are exposed to physical attacks. This is a great challenge, because such behavior can significantly impair volunteering.

The upcoming local elections on June 9th in several German federal states raise the question of how many candidates are available. In many communities, the availability of committed citizens who are interested in local politics is an increasing problem. Despite all the hurdles, the local political commitment remains a valuable opportunity to initiate local changes and show the experiences of active people like Fetzer that it can also be fulfilling.