Eindhoven mayor announces plans to step down

John Jorritsma will step down as the mayor of Eindhoven, the municipality announced on Friday.

Jorritsma has been mayor there since September 2016. The 65-year-old VVD member will stop next September at the end of his term. He "does not aspire to continue in office for a second term," the statement said.

He was the King’s Commissioner for Friesland for over eight years before taking the reigns in the fifth largest city in the Netherlands. He was no stranger to the Noord-Brabant region. Jorritsma was previously the director of the Brabant Development Company (BOM) and the mayor of Cranendonck.

"I consider it an honor to be mayor of the municipality of Eindhoven, and will continue to give my full 100 percent in the coming period," Jorritsma said.

Jorritsma announced his decision with a year remaining in his term because of the upcoming municipal elections on March 16. The municipality said this will provide ample time for “the current and the new city council to play a significant role” in creating a profile for his successor before and after the city elections.