No suitable candidates: Friesland municipality gives up in search for mayor

The Friesland municipality of Dantumadiel has given up its search for a new mayor because too few suitable candidates have applied. Arno Brok, the King’s Commissioner in Friesland, has therefore decided to stop the procedure until after the municipal elections in March next year, Omrop Fryslân reported.

Only five people responded to the vacancy, and none of them were suitable for the job. The Commissioner, therefore, decided to call off the search for now. The decision was made “in good consultation with the Dantumadiel confidential committee,” the committee responsible for nominating a mayor for appointment.

According to the King’s Commissioner, an administrative crisis in the municipality complicated the search. The coalition collapsed shortly after the vacancy was opened in April.

Anja Haga is currently the acting mayor of Dantumadiel. She will stay on for another year, until a new mayor is found.

This is the first time in a decade that a municipality in Friesland has had to stop the search for a mayor due to a lack of candidates. The last time that happened was in Vlieland in 2015.