In St. Wolfgang, a citizens’ initiative is protesting against the decision by the local council to close a school in the center and build a new one on the outskirts of town. In their view, the population should be consulted on the matter, and the majority of the 25-member local council voted in favor of a new building.
The St. Wolfgang municipal council voted overwhelmingly in favor of building a new school in Rußbach. 21 of the 25 local politicians voted in favor, there was one abstention and three rejections. Outside the local parliament, however, the issue is more controversial. A citizens’ initiative supported by the Greens has been fighting the decision for weeks and is campaigning for the school to be kept in the center of town. As reported, this is to be abandoned. The activists want to turn things around with a referendum. In order to hold this, they must collect 352 signatures. “We see this as the only way to force the mayor to proceed in a democratic and transparent manner,” the initiative said.Criticism of the mayorThe initiative justifies its criticism of VP local leader Franz Eisl as follows: “He repeatedly delays or refuses to release documents. Furthermore, he refuses to publish the feasibility study he commissioned, which is a violation of constitutional law. At the same time, he publishes false and distorted facts and figures in official journals and local media.”SP supports VP local leaderThe local leader’s office says that the feasibility study was indeed published and appears in the municipal council minutes. SP Vice-President Josef Hinterberger wants nothing to do with secrecy: “All factions, including the Greens, were always involved. I cannot understand why they are torpedoing the mayor. The new location is the best solution.”
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