Meet Council Member Jan Wijbrans
I was born in 1955; my parents moved to Aalten in 1958 and lived on Ludgerstraat. I attended school in Aalten: Aalten-Zuid, Stegemanschool, and CSA. After graduating from the Atheneum—the first Atheneum class at CSA—I moved to Utrecht at the age of 17. I wanted to become a geologist, and Utrecht offered that opportunity. After Utrecht, I traveled the world as a geologist, mostly with my wife Nel: Australia, Canada, and then back home to work at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. I’m proud of my three daughters and two granddaughters. Since retiring from the VU, I’ve mainly been doing volunteer work: the neighborhood bus, tour guide at the quarry, Koppelkerk, and politics. But I’m still involved in geology too—just last summer I was in the Australian outback.
I had just returned to Aalten when a neighbor approached me: “Jan, would you like to serve the public good?” I live in the outskirts of town and approach my work on the city council from that perspective.
What does serving on the council mean to me?
We live in rapidly changing times: which innovations actually lead to improvements? What kind of community do we want to be? We have a great team, with people in all the neighborhoods and the outlying areas. We all contribute by listening to the people around us. And if there’s anything on your mind, feel free to come talk to us. That’s what we’re here for!
My portfolio includes land use, sustainability, the Euregio, the Achterhoek Council, as well as municipal finances. As party leader, I serve as both a point of contact and a go-to person. My passion is definitely the topic of land use: “What kind of community do we want to grow into?” It is precisely in the area of land use and our vision for the kind of community we want to be that important decisions lie.
What I hope to contribute to in the coming years
We have a great team: three council members, two—and hopefully soon three—party representatives who also play an important role. And a dedicated base of supporters of whom I am proud. Together, we consistently ask ourselves: “What choices do we have?” and “Which choices best align with our vision for the development of our beautiful municipality?”
What Makes the Municipality of Aalten Special
Aalten is a wonderful place to live, whether in the larger or smaller towns or in the countryside: life here is good. We make it that way together—the people, but also the beautiful farmland.
Personal
As I mentioned, I have almost too many volunteer activities and hobbies: You might run into me on the neighborhood bus from Dinxperlo to Aalten or from Dinxperlo to Varsseveld, at the Sint Joriskerk or Koppelkerk in Bredevoort, or swimming laps at ’t Walfort.
Jan Wijbrans, BBB Municipality of Aalten