Drensteinfurt – The CDU parliamentary group starts the new electoral period with a radically younger team. At its head is Markus Wiewel, who has also headed the Committee for Urban Development, Building and the Environment for some time.
Generational change. A word that the Stewwert CDU coined this year. Not only because the local union went into the election campaign with a greatly changed team and, with this mixture of old and new faces, ultimately won an absolute majority. But also because some CDU veterans, such as Josef Waldmann and Heinz Töns, said goodbye to the political stage and made room for younger people. One of them is Markus Wiewel: the 54-year-old lawyer has lived in Wersestadt since 1980 with brief professional breaks, has been on the council since 2014 and was elected as the new parliamentary group chairman in mid-September. He has big plans for the CDU in the coming years to “make Drensteinfurt even more livable”, as he explained in an interview.
Wiewel himself was practically born with a certain passion for local politics. Finally, father Werner Wiewel held the post of city director first in Freckenhorst and then in Drensteinfurt before he became the first full-time mayor of Wersestadt. “If the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, you get a certain interest in politics. You notice a lot at home, ”says the 54-year-old with a laugh.
He spent his early childhood in Beckum. At the age of six he moved to Freckenhorst. Six years later the family moved to Drensteinfurt. He quickly made new contacts while playing football for the SVD and in the neighborhood and settled in well as a teenager. After that, he remained loyal to the Wersestadt except for brief professional interruptions. “I still like to live in Stewwert and I just feel at home here,” says the lawyer, whose family includes Ms. Elke and their two daughters Hannah (18) and Carla (15).
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In his free time, the 54-year-old likes to ride a racing bike or pick up a good book. He is also a passionate cook. “I often invite you to do this,” says the sociable family man, who is also a member of the “St. Johannes ”and was previously involved in the board of bachelors.
Markus Wiewel entered politics relatively late. “My father was still mayor. Otherwise I would have done it earlier, ”he recalls. Accordingly, he only began his political career in 2009 as a deputy knowledgeable citizen for the CDU in various committees. In 2014 he was elected to the council and, following the unexpected death of Heinz-Josef Voss, took over the chairmanship of the urban development committee, which he still heads. “The topic is very important to me,” he reports. In addition, Markus Wiewel has been a board member of the local union since 2011 and deputy chairman since 2017. Added to this is the new role as group leader, which he is already looking forward to.
There is no shortage of projects that he would like to tackle together with the local union. “The top priority for us at the moment is the renovation of the Rinkeroder elementary school,” explains the family man. The continuation of the integrated urban development concept (ISEK) also plays an important role. “Something has to be done in the area of Kurzen Strasse and Wagenfeldstrasse. Sometimes that looks terrible, ”says Heinz Töns’ successor.
Drensteinfurt has now received a beautiful market square and with the renovated former “Hotel zur Post” a beautiful half-timbered house in the middle of the city. Hopefully there will soon be a bistro with outdoor catering in the “parlor”. “We have created nice quality of stay, but we have to take the next steps in order to make the city center even more attractive,” says Wiewel and adds: “It’s not easy for businesses with the Internet and online trading anyway.”
He sees another component in strengthening the (inner) city in the renaturation of the Werse. “That way we could bring a piece of nature into the middle of the city,” he notes. You can see from the example of Albersloh how great that is. “That would also be wonderful for Drensteinfurt,” he is sure. Other projects that the CDU would like to tackle in the near future are the installation of exercise equipment for seniors in all playgrounds and the appointment of a senior representative and a senior advisory board.
In general, Markus Wiewel prefers to act pragmatically. “A good idea is a good idea – regardless of who it comes from. You should always think of what’s best for Stewwert, ”he explains.
by Simon Beckmann
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