Eindhoven mayor stepping down after 7 years in office

Rob van Gijzel will be stepping down as mayor of Eindhoven in the fall of 2016. He announced his decision to the city council on Tuesday evening, NU reports.

"Disentangling, refreshing, tilting and simultaneously connecting affairs energizes me", the Mayor said to the council. "I was able to deploy that energy fully these past few years. Years in which Eindhoven not only withstood the deepest economic crisis since the Second World War, but also built on its future in a great way."

It is not clear what Van Gijzel, PvdA, will do after he steps down. According to him, he is looking forward to taking on "beautiful new challenges".

"This is not goodbye", Van Gijzel concluded. "For the time being I am still here and I look forward with great enthusiasm and passion to the coming months in which we will continue to work with full vigor to build this beautiful city."

Van Gijzel was elected as Eindhoven Mayor in 2008. He started his second term last year. On a national level the PvdA politician is known for his advocacy for the regulation of cannabis cultivation. He also sat in the Tweede Kamer, lower house of parliament, for a number of years.