ÖVP accuses Dornbirn's mayor Fäßler of breaking the law - what now?

ÖVP accuses Dornbirn's mayor Fäßler of breaking the law - what now?

In the Dornbirn town hall, the political dispute between the ÖVP and Mayor Fäßler has increased in intensity. ÖVP chairman Thomas Winsauer makes serious allegations against the mayor by accusing him of breaking the law. The core of the conflict lies in the failure to comply with legal requirements for responding to requests for the employment of an external consultant, which were not answered in a timely manner. Winsauer is considering taking legal action to ensure clarity.

The request, which was made verbally during a city council meeting in October, remained unanswered. In contrast, the questions from the Neos and the Greens were dealt with in the following meeting. The consultant in question is the former SPÖ campaign manager, who is employed on a 50 percent contract basis and has taken over the tasks of a long-time employee of the mayor's office who is on sick leave.

Accusations and reactions

Thomas Winsauer would like to receive detailed information about the consultant's employment relationship and participation in internal meetings. According to the Vorarlberg municipal law, Fäßler should have responded by the meeting in November. The city administration apologized for the omission and emphasized that Winsauer's request was lost. At the same time, the city administration is of the opinion that a three-month deadline was incorrectly assumed.

The ÖVP chairman emphasizes that this involves the use of taxpayers' money to pay the consultant, which further increases public interest in the processes. Winsauer is prepared to file a supervisory complaint with the district administration in order to clarify the allegation of breaking the law.

Administrative divisions in Austria

In order to classify what is happening, it is important to consider the structure of the administration in Austria. Austria is divided into federal government, federal states, districts and municipalities. These administrative units are legal entities, with the federal government and the federal states having the most important powers. Municipalities like Dornbirn fall under local self-government, but have no legislative powers and in many respects operate under the guidelines of the federal and state administration.

The district administrative authorities, which also include the district administrations, have an important function in the administrative structure. However, they are not independent units as they are bound to the instructions of the state government. This increases the complexity of administrative activities and the need to properly comply with legal regulations in order to avoid possible legal disputes.

In this context, the dispute between the ÖVP and Mayor Fäßler not only becomes an internal matter, but also highlights the need for compliance within the administration in Vorarlberg.

The developments in Dornbirn could therefore have far-reaching consequences for both local politics and public administration as a whole. VOL.AT and ORF Vorarlberg report on the ongoing events, while the comprehensive administrative structure in Austria is on the platform Wikipedia is displayed.