Hemberg finds no successors: The time of the solitary community is over

Urs M. Hemm, Deputy Editor-in-Chief. (Photo: PD)

On the one hand, it is embarrassing. On the other hand, it's a clear sign that the time of the small independent communities has slowly but surely expired: The Hembergers have not been able to find a successor to Elsbeth Roth in the office of the school board. Instead, Roth goes back on his decision to resign and brings fire coal to the community. She will finish her legislature and will remain until the new election in 2020.

Elsbeth Roth wanted to focus on her new role as hostess of the Löwen hostel in Hemberg and hand over the council after ten years of activity. Anyone who has ever worked in the hospitality industry knows that this requires long hours of work and, as a host, even more time of presence – enough reasons to give up public office.

But Elsbeth Roth takes the time. Unlike anyone who was asked for the estate. These justified their rejection in unison with the lack of temporal capacity. Of course, the individual workload has increased. But surely a solution would have been found. For example, it would have been possible to divide the tasks of the presidency on several shoulders within the school council. The fact that there are solutions has been demonstrated in the case of Elsbeth Roth – thanks to the support of his school council colleagues, who take over the business as needed.

Plausible for rejection is the possible merger into a unified community with Neckertal and Oberhelfenschwil. This way should be taken anyway already. The case of Hemberg illustrates the fact that it is becoming increasingly difficult for small communities to maintain the administrative apparatus.

There is no way to merge

Although the population of Hemberger voted in 2014 pronounced Fusion. However, if citizens can continue to be offered all the services of a local authority, there is no way around a merger. Without Elsbeth Roth, the school, students and teachers would already be without representation, which would mean the beginning of the end of the school community par excellence.