Since the state elections on March 5th at the latest, the Pinks can no longer hide it: there is a lot of rumblings among the Neos. And even months after the small party’s poor performance – it got 2.59 percent and thus clearly missed the five percent hurdle for entry into the state parliament – the rumblings have not stopped.
While there had already been increasing calls for the resignation of state spokesman and Klagenfurt local councilor Janos Juvan – also within the party – the short-term invitation to a press conference on Thursday did not come as a surprise to many. At the meeting in the municipal council hall of Klagenfurt town hall, it wasn’t about resignation at all – but about a report. Because he reported from committee meetings – which are not held publicly – Juvan was reported by the city of Klagenfurt. They want to silence him, he says: “Because I told the people in Klagenfurt the truth about the horrific things that happened here.” The city’s mayor, Christian Scheider, sees it differently. He dismisses Juvan’s comments as a pity ploy: “It’s like this: There is a city charter – as a local councilor you have to know that and behave within this framework. Juvan has bent or abused this city law, if you want to call it that,” Scheider told the “Krone”. Press release ends in advertisement. Specifically, it is about a press release from Neos from September 15th of this year – and as so often, the municipal director was Peter Jost The topic in it: “In yesterday’s meeting of the main committee, after more than 7 months, there was finally a vote on the motion to dismiss the magistrate director. Juvan had already demanded that Jost leave in February. Only NEOS and SPÖ voted for it. TK, ÖVP, FPÖ and even the Greens are sticking with Jost,” the broadcast said at the time. As a reminder: Jost’s employment relationship had been extended by means of an emergency paragraph, and in June he himself demanded a further 57,000 euros for overtime worked. In October, Scheider won a stage victory in the case: the city boss had lodged a complaint against a decision from the municipal supervisory authority because it had claimed that the emergency paragraph had been used in violation of the statutes. However, the state administrative court followed the mayor’s lawsuit. “You have to adhere to city law.” Scheider said about the ad: “Because he did public relations work from the committees and reported on Facebook, he violated city law. Unlike the City Senate, our committees are not public. If everyone does that, then we no longer need city law.” As a local councilor, Juvan has to adhere to city law. “If city law is violated, it will be checked automatically and, if necessary, a report will be made,” Scheider continued. “That’s why no one wants to silence him. There are local council meetings that are public. Anyone can say anything anyway, but you have to stick to city law.”FPÖ: “The complaint is ridiculous”For the Blues, the complaint against a local councilor for violating official secrecy is “downright ridiculous in view of the upcoming Freedom of Information Act and the abolition of official secrecy,” said FPÖ club chairman Andreas Skorianz. Information from committee debates often finds its way to the public quite easily – for example in accusations like “you were against it in the committee”.
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