Merksem’s district alderman and ex-city alderman Gilbert Verstraelen (Vooruit) stops with politics (Antwerp)
Verstraelen has been an uninterrupted mandate for SP, sp.a and now Vooruit since 1983. He will turn 65 in September, so according to him the time had come to stop active politics. Dominique Kums (Vooruit) takes over from Verstraelen as district alderman for culture, greenery and the environment, among other things.
“I always like my concentration and with full commitment, but there is also life outside politics and it is time to enjoy it to the fullest,” says Verstraelen.
Verstraelen looks back with satisfaction on the establishment of Topsport Antwerp as Antwerp’s alderman for Sport. To this day, top athletes and top sports clubs are supported by the city through subsidies. When he became alderman of education in 1995, he was actually only authorized for urban education.
“I then opened the door to the other educational networks in order to arrive at a general education policy in Antwerp,” says Verstraelen.
The biggest disappointment is the failure of the construction of a large Eurostadion sports stadium. It had to be ready for the European Football Championship in 2000. This new stadium would house the Antwerp top football clubs.
“I was bitter about not being able to do this,” says Verstraelen. “It was a missed opportunity for the clubs and Antwerp. Everything was available, but the football clubs were obstructive. When football stands for anything, all common sense is gone. By the way, I see that to date, not even an inch of progress has been made in construction.”
bland chill
Verstraelen was a municipal councilor and alderman of Antwerp, but he got the greatest satisfaction from his aldermen in Merksem districts. In 2012, he formed a coalition in Merksem together with his previous former member of the Antwerp College of Aldermen Luc Bungeneers (N-VA). That was not to the liking of their parties, but neither of them cared.
“As a councilor, the Merksem files were already close to my heart,” says Verstraelen. “After the floods in Merksem in the 1990s, I was able to stop an allotment on the IJsvogelstraat. It’s cool if someone says he or she can’t do anything as a municipal councilor. As city aldermen you used to be an administrator, I was now real as district alderman can be engaged in something concrete. I have made Merksem much greener. You see your policy as district aldermen take concrete shape. Moreover, you hear the opinion of the residents more quickly.”
Verstraelen may stop with active politics, but he remains active in Merksem’s social life. svw
Political career:
1983-1988: Merksem . district councilor
1989-1994: Municipal councilor Antwerp
1994-1995: Alderman for Sports, Tourism, Youth and Health
1995-2000: Alderman for Education and Sports
2001-2006: Municipal councilor Antwerp
2007-2012: District Mayor of Merksem
2012 to present: Merksems districts alderman for Culture, Green, Environment, Festivities and Protocol