TIMEOUTAMSTERDAM PRINT VERSION MARCH 2010
Still don’t know what’s at stake in this month’s city council elections? Local comedian and political observer Greg Shapiro chatted with the one city official who’s not chosen by voters: MAYOR JOB COHEN
If you’re in the mood to practice your Dutch, here’s a great word for you: gemeenteraadsverkiezingen. That’s 25 letters, folks, meaning city council elections. But what do they matter really? Here’s what: can we drink a beer outside? Can we shop on Sundays? Will they ever finish that demned Metro line?
Some voters fear that Amsterdam is losing its edge, it’s identity. New rules about social conduct, most of them coming from Den Haag, affect the way we live in Amsterdam. The police now have the right to search us, coffeeshops now have more restrictions and smokers are pretty much verboden. Can we expect more resistance from the new city council against the Den Haag measures?
Ultimately, Den Haag and Amsterdam want the same thing. Mostly, we want to make sure that kids are not getting their hands on soft drugs. And that goes for alcohol too.
But what about adults and alcohol? The ‘Ai!Amsterdam’ movement has made a lot of noise about the crackdown on terraces and opening hours for bars, restaurants and clubs.
[Ai! Amsterdam] complained that the rules were too strict on drinking a beer outside. So in the past year, we’ve allowed more possibilities for terraces. In fact, there’s been a huge push to expand the plans for recreation. But where Amsterdam is uniquely strong – was, is and always will be – is in the balance between living, working and recreation. There’s always going to be give-and-take. We’ve heard complaints from residents that terraces are too loud. We invited Ai! Amsterdam to attend a discussion with the residents’ group, but they weren’t interested. There has to be balance.
Luckily for all parties, one public nuisance has largely disappeared recently: the Brits. Thanks to the crisis and a historically low Pound, no more drunken louts and late-night singing bouts. But is Amsterdam at all worried that it’s not pulling them in like it used to?
I was just saying the other day at the Provincial meeting: do you know how many English-speaking expats we have in Amsterdam? Over 10 per cent. We do a lot with expats in mind. That’s why we created the Expat Center [Zuid/WTC]. There’s been an enormous increase in the creative sector in Amsterdam, even during the crisis. We support the dynamic expansion of people in the creative industry, and in the financial industry. These are not unimportant areas. Amsterdam is a unique city. People get the feeling that they can realize their talents in a special way. And we will continue to keep it like this.
Okay, and how about the North-South Metro Line? As if the financial crisis wasn’t bad enough, the line is causing huge budget shortfalls – and everybody is feeling it. At least 500 civil servants are being cut, construction projects are being cut, arts funding is being cut.
Budget crises are inevitable, and right now every city has one. We are trying to be as forthcoming as we can. We’ve made a public menu-card of options for creating savings and creating revenue. It’s election time, and every party had had its say. Now we need decisions.
Does this mean stopping construction on the North South line? While it seems logical to some, your party, the labour party, PvdA maintains that it would cost the same to go back as to go forward.
Personally, I think we’ve come too far to stop now. Yes, it’s messy, yes it’s expensive. But developing the city always is. Grit your teeth, keep going, and hope that it’s done as soon as possible.
Curiously, and somewhat scandalously given the circumstances, the national government in Den Haag has put off their budget cuts until June, during the World Cup. What do you make of that?
We need results sooner. Forming a city coalition does not take as long as a national coalition. Amsterdam needs decisions in March and April. This is a time of tightening our budget, and eliminating waste. Someone will always be unhappy. But we all need to work together, and we will be as forthcoming as possible.
You’ve got an anniversary coming up – 10 years of being the Mayor of Amsterdam. Any goals for your next 10 years?
There will always be people who say ‘Amsterdam isn’t the same, it’s terrible.’ But I’m happy with where this city is going. In terms of social harmony, working/living/recreation – and the enormous increase in the creative sector recently – Amsterdam is [still] a unique place, and in fact a driving force in Europe.
