Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Top stories
  • Health
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Weird
  • 1-1-2
Image
800px-Jozias-johannes-van-aartsen-1338540357
- Credit: Mayor Jozias van Aartsen (Source: WIkimedia Commons/Roel Wijnants)
Politics
Jozias van Aartsen
The Hague
Friday, 24 February 2017 - 10:55
Share this:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • reddit

Hague Jozias van Aartsen mayor steps down

On Thursday The Hague city council held a special council meeting to officially say goodbye to Mayor Jozias van Aartsen. The council awarded Van Aartsen the Golden Honor medal and associated Honorary Citizenship of The Hague, the highest honor the city can bestow, Den Haag FM reports.

Numerous people attended the meeting to give speeches, including Commissioner of the King Jaap Smit, Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, Education State Secretary Sander Dekker on behalf of the government, deputy mayor Tom de Bruin and city councilor Lobke Zandstra, who spoke on behalf of the 101 city councilors during Van Aartsen's time in office.

Aboutaleb praised Van Aartsen as "thoroughly reliable". Dekker praised the mayor's versatility. "You like to quote Spinoza, but you also know all the corners of the Schilderswijk." Jaap Smit described Van Aartsen as an "authentic, quirky, excellent mayor". Tom de Bruijn spoke of his "great love for the city and its inhabitants". "When others fueled fires, you extinguished them."

Van Aartsen was visibly moved by the compliments, according to the broadcaster. He promised to cherish his honorary citizenship. He called on the city council to keep putting the city first. "Do not fall into political quibbling. Please protect this city", he said to the council. "The city is bigger than any political party and no one is bigger than the city."

Follow us:

Latest stories

  • Hospitals vary widely in when they refer babies to pediatricians
  • The Netherlands has given Ukraine over €1 billion in military aid alone
  • The Netherlands and Morocco look to expand extradition agreement
  • Confidence in Dutch government & central bank has fallen sharply
  • Air France-KLM, Lufthansa could acquire bankrupt Flybe to access landing slots
  • Dutch more worried about natural disasters; Half think country will become uninhabitable

Top stories

  • Netherlands to send a search & rescue team to Turkey after 7.8 magnitude earthquake
  • Dutch employers becoming less critical during hiring process
  • Multiple writers receive threats after defending Pim Lammers, "Unacceptable": Dutch PM
  • Woman killed, 10 hurt in several stabbing incidents over the weekend
  • Regional bus, train staff start 5-day strike; Some Arriva trains running, NS unaffected
  • Police arrest suspect for fatal fire in Arnhem

© 2012-2023, NL Times, All rights reserved.

Footer menu

  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Partner content