Ralu on Board, Edition 7: Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem, bridgebuilder between Eindhoven communities and cultures

RaluonBoard gives a stage to leaders to share their stories and inspire others. On our next special edition we have an incredibly inspiring leader on board! Already a decade ago he was named "the politician of the year" by the Dutch parliamentary press. He is known as a "bridgebuilder" who does not shy away from talking about the "pink elephant". He is a proud Eindhovenaar, who embraces and supports the diversity of the Brainport area and made it his mission to ensure that the growth of Eindhoven does not make us fall apart. When John Jorritsma came into office with a statement that "Eindhoven is a collection of villages". Jeroen Dijsselbloem also talks about Eindhoven as a collection of nationalities and sees it as his task to integrate these better. The skill to bring together many national financial interests in Europe is a skill that now helps to bring together the local interests and solve the challenges of cities and villages in the region. Will Brainport continue to grow? what if the economy cools down? Jeroen Dijsselbloem sees it as his responsibility not only to consider the growth scenarios but also oversee the risks of not so gloomy scenarios, including economic down turn. His ambition is to serve at least two terms of six years each, which require also long term strategies. As an ex-minister of finance, he openly critizes political parties that do not produce a solid financial a plan to back up their promises to the voter. Jeroen Dijsselbloem takes strong positions. The migration crisis is just not the hardest issues of the moment. According to the mayor it rather is a consequence of a housing crisis.