Den Helder drops Alderman over sex message allegations

Geurt Visser, an alderman in Den Helder, has been dismissed for sending sexually explicit messages to female colleagues. He was voted out by 18 of the 29 council members during a specially arranged council meeting on Monday night, NOS reports. According to the broadcaster, Visser handed in his resignation last week, giving the heavy workload as the reason. "The travel time and distance to my family are a heavier burden than I anticipated." He later withdrew his resignation due to "developments that affect his decision". The municipality then replied that Visser could not come back due to his "indecent behavior" towards woman. Visser was often reprimanded about his behavior towards female colleagues. At the meeting the council called the situation unworkable and ruled out any possibility of Visser returning to his post as alderman. Visser has pressed charges against his colleagues for looking through the messages on his phone without him knowing about it.