Wassenaar – Herewith we take the opportunity to present information about the upcoming elections; the importance of these elections to the expat families in Wassenaar and about our party, DLW (list number 5, Democratic Liberals Wassenaar).
Wassenaar is a special municipality with a large number of expats. As an expat, one can also determine how they want the municipality to develop and which facilities the municipality must offer. Expats are part of our community. Some families live here only a couple of years. For others the stay is extended up to more than ten years. A long time, in which the environment has a high influence on the quality of life. That is why local politics should also represent the interests of our temporary co-citizens. Because this is so important, the national government has determined that (most) expats are entitled to vote at the municipal elections. We suggest using this right. The expats are part of our community and should use the opportunity to decide about the policies in this village.
To make up your mind about whom to vote for, it is important to know more about the programs of the political parties and to know who can best represent your interests. At DLW we recognize the importance of the expat community in Wassenaar and that this community needs to be facilitated by the municipality as well. It is not a coincidence that a lot of our candidates have an international background or have been expats themselves.
We would also like to introduce some of our candidates;
Ben Paulides is DLW’s founder and leader. He loves his village and knows it like the back of his hand. Transparency, Liberalism and social needs have always been high on his agenda. He has a background as an entrepreneur and works in the im- & export from and to Eastern Europe and Asia.
Frans Micklinghoff is an expert on Wassenaar and its history. Aged at 72, he considers it one of his strongest attributes. His love for Wassenaar reveals all things currently going astray, and he is ready to commit himself to resolving problems such as Wassenaar’s accessibility and independence. In addition, the ranks of DLW are filled with people carrying international experience:
Tomash Groen is partially Italian. He has spent over a year working and studying in Finland, where he gained a lot of experience living in a foreign country, where one does not speak the native tongue. Aged 23, he dedicates himself to the needs of the youngsters.
Roland Pluut lived multiple years in the Far East. His children visited several international schools including the American School in Wassenaar. He himself was chairman of the PTA at the international school, and worked for the ANWB & UNICEF. The special needs of the expats are known to him.
Rebecca Talbot is British by birth and the youngest candidate in Wassenaar being end of this week 19 years of age. She is the chairman of our youth and young adults committee at DLW and already built herself an extensive portfolio of organisational and management experience.
Edward Voorham has lived in over 25 countries across the globe and works in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, last six of which as ‘Officer Special Assignments’. He speaks fivelanguages and has experience in finances, HRM, management, security, immigration, automatization and relations.
Maria Soria Quiles is Spanish and has lived all over the world as an expat. She does not only work as a caregiver, but also addresses issues which concern all expats: working conditions. She’s an expert on services, working- & living-conditions of foreigners, social support, and healthcare.
Cees van den Boom spent a large part of his live on the Caribbean Isles, in Spain and in the USA.
These candidates have all contributed to addressing the needs of our international community, in our Election Program. They will continue to support special initiatives for years to come.
When you consider whether you are going to vote, and whom to vote for, it is of importance to know the views of the parties. Here we explain a couple of our most important views which are of high importance to the expat community:
– Accessibility: Many of the employers are located in The Hague, Leiden or Noordwijk. The province has plans for the spatial rearrangement that can seriously impede accessibility in the coming years. We want sufficient measures to be taken to keep Wassenaar accessible in the coming years.
– Sport Facilities: For families who only stay in the Netherlands for one or two years, there are sufficient facilities at the international schools. For the families that stay longer, the importance of local sports and cultural facilities increases. In recent years, spending has been incompetent and ineffective. We dedicate ourselves to sports and cultural facilities, with special attention for our international fellow ‘Wassenaarders’.
– Independence of Wassenaar: Some parties want to merge Wassenaar with other municipalities, such as Voorschoten, Leiden or The Hague. DLW stands for a sovereign Wassenaar. Independent whilst cooperating with the neighbouringmunicipalities in excellent fashion. Independence is very important in order to prevent the green character of Wassenaar from being lost and keeping facilities and services, important for care and safety, within Wassenaar and easily accessible.
– Care and Safety: Due to the wish of some parties to merge Wassenaar with other municipalities, a few important facilities have already been removed. The police station is being converted from a 24/7 service to office hours only, the ambulance post was closed and the fire guard station was relocation to Leidschendam. DLW considers these facilities crucial and wants to return them to Wassenaar.
– Financial Administration: Wassenaar had a strong administration in 2012 and 2013. DLW and its coalition partners, set disputes aside, committed to specific problems to be solved, and appointed external aldermen. The 2014 elections resulted in a new coalition which was politically incompetent and often focused the wrong matters. Now we have the chance to be part of the coalition again and havecontrol over the administration. We believe we have more than plentiful high-quality candidates who can lead Wassenaar back on a path of proper financial management. With good administration taxes can be reduced and the provisions improved.
With good governing many problems will quickly be a thing of the past and together with our expats DLW can provide for an excellent local council with proper management; a save environment for kids to grow up; good traffic plans for inside and around Wassenaar and much better public transportation connecting us with The Hague, Leiden, Voorschoten & Leidschendam.
Furthermore, we are very proud of the beautiful nature and cultural heritage present in our village. We desire consistent maintenance and improved policies, so every inhabitant of Wassenaar feels like going outside and spend their free time in the nature.
In short, we want a safe and healthy community, with splendid facilities, and good health care. Especially in a privileged municipality as Wassenaar we can achieve these goals. We are working on an English programme, but until it is published, feel free to check out our Dutch site: democratischeliberalen.nl. You can leave comments or ask questions through our contact button.
Together we can make Wassenaar an even better place to live.
Together we make a fist! DLW, List #5
