In July 2019, Jürgen Bohl became the mayor of Gerhardsbrunn, a small village of 170 people in western Germany. It's an unpaid position and Bohl, who works as a farmer, says there are other locals who would have had more free time than him to do the job. But, he adds, "they simply didn't want to." Before Bohl became the mayor of Gerhardsbrunn, the village had been without a mayor for three years.

Many German villages and towns are without mayors; ever-fewer people are willing to take up these unpaid positions. In March 2020, Bavaria will be holding local elections. And half of the more than 1,000 mayors currently in office in the state will not not be running again.

Who will sort out local problems?

Bohl says he knows why so few Bavarian mayors want another term: "At first, you think it won't be too much work, especially in a small town — but it's a bigger job than you imagine." He tells DW that he devotes 10 hours each week to taking care of local issues. He has, for example, joined forces with local councilors to rebuild the village's cemetery wall, and has seen to it that regional farm tracks are cleared of bushes. Now, he is planning a face-lift for the main road through the village.

But backwater Germany's mayor shortage isn't just a question of a dearth of candidates. Those who do volunteer for the unpaid role want to spend less and less time in the job. The German Association of Towns and Municipalities (DStGB) does not have any exact figures, however, as systems of local governance can vary across Germany's states.

Mayors are insulted and threatened

In any case, it is becoming ever rarer to encounter old-school mayors like Josef Rüddel, who served a 56-year stint in charge of local affairs for the municipality of Windhagen (population: 4,000) near the city of Bonn. Alexander Handschuh of the DStGB says that this is not only because of the growing workload but because mayors are often also subjected to abuse and even threats.

"Insults and threats against people who get involved in local affairs are becoming more and more common," Handschuh told DW, adding that he wished more people would tell their mayors that they "appreciate that they are doing something for the local community."

At a confidential meeting in summer with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, mayors complained of frequent insults, threats and hate mail, also saying they did not feel sufficiently protected by police.

Abuse is common

Tatjana Cyrulnikov, who serves as mayor of the small municipality of Waldsiedlung near Frankfurt, experienced this first hand. Cyrulnikov, still a student, was elected as mayor in October, replacing Stefan Jagsch of the right-wing extremist NPD party, who was briefly elected to the position but then removed following a nationwide outcry. 

Cyrulnikov recently told German radio station Deutschlandfunk that, after taking office, she received an email "claiming that pretty soon, Russians and other foreigners would control 'our Germany,' and that it was shameful to see what had become of the homeland." She also recalled receiving one death threat on Facebook.

Klaus Bube, who heads Altenstadt's municipal administration, says threats like these explain why fewer and fewer people are willing to run as mayors today. He tells DW that attacks on people in voluntary positions, even more junior committee members, have become common. "A lot of people give up because of this," Bube says. "In the past, volunteers for municipal office would often serve for decades; now, many of them throw in the towel after just two or three years."

The Bavarian municipality of Schwanfeld, for example, was so hard-pressed to find someone to replace mayor Richard Köth and run in the 2020 local elections that they decided to turn the job into a paid, full-time position. Only after the local daily Mainpost highlighted the situation did people apply for the job.

Fireman turned mayor

Marcus Franzen, an unpaid mayor in Gindorf, a village near the western city of Trier, says there certainly used to be greater interest in serving as mayor. He recalls the time when three candidates might vie to become the mayor of even a small municipality.

Until Franzen gave up his position as the deputy head of the local fire brigade and took charge in Gindorf in May this year, the village had been without a mayor for more than three years. During this time, it was administered by the nearby Bitburg municipality. Now, Franzen sees to it that the local playground and street lights are in good condition. "If you want there to be improvements, you need to take action yourself," he says, adding that "there is a lot of support" especially "when I visit older people."

Gerhardsbrunn Mayor Jürgen Bohl does not regret his decision, either. "I am glad to see that something is happening here," he says. He, too, says locals are pleased he has taken matters into his hands. And, he admits, "I enjoy this job."

Last Monday, Michael Makurath, the head of the Baden-Württemberg mayors' association, called for more financial allowances for voluntary service. Makurath, who himself serves as the mayor of a small town in southwestern Germany, also demanded that Germany's political parties take action to encourage more people to become mayors. "If things go on as they are, no one will stick their heads out anymore for fear of having them cut off," he says.

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