Silvio Witt says goodbye: A moving review of Neubrandenburg's era

Silvio Witt says goodbye: A moving review of Neubrandenburg's era

Neubrandenburg, Deutschland - On May 31, 2025, Silvio Witt officially said goodbye to his office after over ten years as Mayor of Neubrandenburg. Witt's term in office began on April 1, 2015 when he won the runoff against Torsten Koplin from the left. At the age of 36, he introduced himself as someone who could say "no" well. In his farewell speech, he described this time as the "most exciting section" of his life and thanked the citizens who both supported and criticized him. Around 800 people came together in the cultural park to say goodbye to Witt, who had previously announced his resignation in October 2024.

witt's resignation, which was originally planned for May 1, 2025, was justified by a “poisoned” political discourse in the city. He expressed that the office cost a lot of energy and was often dishonest. After his resignation, deputy mayor Peter Modemann will temporarily lead the official business. The objection period against the election result of the mayor's chopping election ends on June 11th. In this runoff election, Nico Klose prevailed against the CDU candidate Frank Benischke.

verbal attacks and political conflicts

The reasons for WITT resignation seemed complex. The debate about the rainbow flag at the Neubrandenburg train station, which was exchanged for a swastika flag, was particularly controversial. Witt, who stood for diversity and cosmopolitanism, described this as a taboo break. City representatives reacted differently to Witts decision: While Steven Giermann (CDU) thanked Witts engagement, Michael Stieber (SPD) said that the resignation was surprising and mercilary. Tim Großmüller from the "stable citizens" called Witt's resignation a "flag flight", while Peter Fink from the AfD described the resignation as overdue.

WITT's decision was not without reactions. The statements of the city representatives show a split image of the perception of his work and the opinions on his resignation. The atmosphere in the city, which is burdened by controversial and polarizing events, seems to have played a crucial role.

successor Nico Klose

Nico Klose was therefore elected as the new mayor of Neubrandenburg. The non -party Klose received 65.1 percent of the vote in the runoff election after he had already reached 35.7 percent in the first ballot on May 11, 2023. Klose was supported by the SPD, Greens and also by Silvio Witt, who found a successor to share his political views. His challenger Frank Benischke from the CDU received 34.9 percent of the vote and also led an election campaign that focused on strengthening the local economy. Klose is therefore well positioned to step into the footsteps.

The development in Neubrandenburg raises questions about the political culture of the city and shows how deeply the political differences can split the community. Through his resignation, Silvio Witt has definitely created a turning point in urban politics, which will now follow the new term of Klose.

The coming days will show how the political landscape in Neubrandenburg will develop and whether the new leadership structures can bring about the desired positive change.

For more information, read the reports at Nordkurier , ndr and Die Zeit .