After Russia's Jean Gregoire Sagbo (voted 2010 in Novozavidovo) and Slovenia's Peter Bossman (voted 2010 in Piran), John Ehret was voted on 06.05.2012 as mayor of Mauer, Baden-Wuerttemberg. Part of Obama's domino effect? My personal opinion is "yes and no!". In view of Germany's history on one hand and current world political events on the other, the probability that the Obama domino effect played a significant role in these elections is very high. However, Europe had long before Obama's era, voted mayors of African descent, such as John Archer (1913 in Battersea, UK), Raphael Elizé (1929 in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, France) and Héctor Julio Castillo Figueroa (1979 in Isla Cristina, Spain) .
Let's take the spotlight back on Mauer. John Ehret was the last, just before the application deadline, to announce his candidacy for the mayoral elections. The 40-year-old campaigned as a nonpartisan candidate besides Andrea Pfisterer-Watzlawek (of the Green Party), as well as other Nonpartisans, Mathias Schmalzhaf, Claus Trunk und Hagen Zuber in the elections. He plans to rule following his campaign slogan "from Mauer to Mauer - Yes we can".
John Ehret was born in 1971 in Karlsruhe. Due to a difficult family situation he was given to a children's home as a child. In 1977 Gertrud and Helmut Ehret adopted the boy and took him to Mauer. Although he was the only black kid in town, he was heartily welcomed everywhere and was involved in various projects as a teenager. As he puts it, as a "stranger" he was well received, which was uncommon at the time. This also added to his motivation to apply as mayor. He wants to give back something positive to Mauer.
Ehret graduated from high school in 1992 and did community service at Protestant Mission in Heidelberg. He then trained as a public administrator and police commissioner, obtaining a diploma at the BKA (Bundeskriminalamt - Federal Criminal Police Department). He worked in Wiesbaden, Berlin and Meckenheim. He has been on several missions abroad to fascilate the construction of an effective police department in developing countries- including in Lebanon, Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia. He's displayed his potential for an outstanding performance before. 2012, he received an award for his commitment to developing the Afghan police.
He plans to focus his work on families, seniors and youth, to create good conditions for traders and to involve citizens in decisions during his regime.
Hello,
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Britain has had quite a few black Mayors and even politicians at national and Cabinet level. This election of an African German Mayor helps to show that the German people can, like some other Western Nations see beyond colour enough to choose someone who is ethnically different from themselves. It's a start.
AntwortenLöschenI wrote some articles about Black Politicians over on the Black Presence website some time ago and have been meaning to do an update and critique on them. Still it's really good to know that black people are getting on well in Germany. thanks for the article.