New Year's speech by Mayor Anton Stapelkamp
Think ahead and look ahead...
Dear friends, thank you for being here and for allowing me to address you.
Think ahead—you have heard this often in recent months. And with good reason, because governing means looking ahead. It is good to reflect on the vulnerabilities of our society, of each other, and of ourselves. Large-scale disruptions to our public life, let alone acts of war, are hardly on our radar anymore.
"What should we do about it?" you may be thinking. The Think Ahead campaign aims to raise awareness and offer a perspective for action. People who are prepared are more resilient, so it helps to prepare ourselves for all kinds of disruptions. After all, those who participate in the Four Days Marches—which last just over 72 hours—also prepare themselves to reach the finish line without injury. It is just as important that we work together. As with the Four Days Marches, sometimes you need people to pull you through when the going gets tough. Resilience is something that belongs to and is for all of us.
We are also using the Think Ahead campaign to Map our own vulnerability and resilience. We will also be discussing this with the community. As in Germany, municipal emergency support centers are being set up in the Netherlands. Their function and design are being tested in pilot projects. The only pilot project in the Achterhoek region is running in Dinxperlo, where cooperation with Suderwick is being sought.
A turbulent year: democratic values under pressure
During a New Year's reception, it is customary to look back on the past year. It was quite a year, full of injustice, violence, and unrest. Our American allies installed a president who places himself and the supposed interests of his country above law and morality. A president who constantly invokes states of emergency, after which he uses emergency powers to set aside the democratic rule of law. As a result, only the law of the strongest applies. Anything and anyone who gets in the way is declared an enemy. All possible means may be used to combat them.
So it is not surprising that he attacks the European Union so fiercely. The EU is the only power bloc in the free world that still seriously stands up for the democratic rule of law, privacy legislation, and environmental protection, and against the power of tech giants.
We have also seen developments of this kind in the Netherlands in recent years, and we must not turn a blind eye to them. Attacks on scientists, journalists, judges, and politicians; proposals to use emergency legislation to take away people's rights; border controls that, according to the Schengen Agreement, should only be introduced in the event of a serious threat to public order and security. We saw it all happen in 2025.
We also had to deal with one of the worst-performing cabinets since the war. It stumbled twice, causing uncertainty and unrest in numerous areas. This affected farmers and businesses, but also citizens who are concerned about our environment and climate. And that also applies to the municipality. It is difficult to navigate all those unworkable plans from The Hague and the lack of decisiveness. For yet another year in a row, temporary measures were taken to prevent municipal finances from going off the rails. That's fine, but we are now longing for stability.
But plenty of reasons to be satisfied
Was it all doom and gloom? No, certainly not. In fact, there is much to look back on with satisfaction, such as a relaxed and incident-free New Year's Eve. A lot of work has been done and great results have been achieved, thanks to our civil servants and all our partners for their efforts!
We celebrated eighty years of peace and freedom more exuberantly than expected. The involvement of our German neighbors is becoming increasingly self-evident. We opened a fantastic Prins Clausplein in Dinxperlo, residents removed a lot of tiles from their gardens, and we planted many trees. Turnout in our municipality for the House of Representatives elections was again higher, and we had two more Politically Active courses. We were shocked by the news that Alderman te Lindert was leaving us, but we saw great opportunities to connect schools, the municipality, and the community. And we were pleased to see that his successor, Rik van Lochem , slotted van Lochem into the council. Meanwhile, an important first step was taken towards new construction for Schaersvoorde. The social domain provided little political spectacle, a sign that the dossier is in order and that we are mainly building. For example, with the Oudtopia project, in which we reflect on the consequences of the ongoing aging of the population. This means focusing on prevention, which is one of the reasons why we signed the Achterhoek Food Manifesto. One of our commitments is to base our own catering more on the motto 'Sustainable and healthy' and, if possible, to use our own produce. Hence the coffee biscuits from Kasper Paul, which contain Achterhoek grain as one of the ingredients. This spring, the council announced plans to accommodate 300 asylum seekers on Singelweg. In consultation with the municipal council, the municipal executive organized information meetings. Approximately 650 residents attended the evenings, and a large proportion of them were concerned and even angry. This prompted the municipal council to pause and first formulate a number Requirements the accommodation. In October, the council discussed this twice and three groups of citizens presented a petition. The demonstration during the first council meeting was exemplary, which was nice after all the emotions. Fortunately, that is also possible. However, I am still receiving signals from residents who are ashamed of certain banner texts. The outcome is that all council factions now accept that the target set by the Distribution Act is leading, which means providing shelter for 200 asylum seekers.
The council recently adopted a first draft text on the way to an Environmental Vision, and a detailed vision must be in place by the end of this year. Housing construction also gained momentum. In December alone, the council decided on plans for hundreds of homes, including a relatively large number of social housing units. We took in more than 200 Ukrainians, 80% of whom now have a job! And we housed almost 50 status holders. We ended 2025 with a population growth of around 160 residents, just like last year. There are now approximately 27,625 residents in Aalten, which is a record high!
Local democracy requires active citizenship
As chair of the council and college, I am naturally looking forward to the election of a new municipal council. March 18—make a note of that date in your diary. On March 31, we will say goodbye to the current council. I would like to thank the outgoing council members for their dedication during the turbulent years behind us. Some of them have completed twelve years of public service.
At the same time, I am concerned about our local democracy. If the largest party in the last elections cannot find enough people willing to form a local team for the council elections, then we have a serious problem. Democracy can only flourish if citizens feel involved and responsible for their community and environment. When citizens are willing to participate in their neighborhood, their community, their village, and their municipality. More than ever, there is a need for active citizenship. The gap between citizens and politics will not narrow on its own. Citizens and the politicians they elect both have a responsibility in this regard. Grumbling like old muppets from the gallery is easy but does not solve anything. So get active, join a neighborhood association and political party, and go to the polls on March 18! I hope for an even higher turnout!
Hope gives strength
In conclusion, there is sufficient reason for Health I continue to cherish hope. There is no alternative. As the Czech political prisoner and later president Vaclav Havel once put it: "Hope is not the same as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out. It is above all this hope that gives us the strength to live and try new things, even in circumstances that seem as hopeless as ours, here and now."
We need that hope right now: not to become cynical or indifferent, not to look away, but to continue to find meaning in the small things. In how we choose humanity, in how we live, speak, and act together. I look forward to 2026 with hope and would like to raise a glass with you to a happy new year!