Walter Gohm: New President of the Vorarlberg Community Association!

Walter Gohm: New President of the Vorarlberg Community Association!

Dornbirn, Österreich - Walter Gohm, the mayor of Frastanz, was elected as the new president of the Vorarlberg Community Association on May 16, 2025 at the Vorarlberg community day in Dornbirn. Gohm succeeds Andrea Kaufmann, who resigned as mayor after the municipal election in March. His choice is an important step to strengthen the advocacy of all 96 municipalities in Vorarlberg, which is represented by the community association.

The election took place as part of the 50th Vorarlberg community day, which served as a platform for the exchange of experiences and getting to know the various communities. Gohm, who has been active in the municipal council since 2010 and has been funding since 2019, emphasized the urgent need to support the communities competently and powerfully. Surprisingly, there was only one vote against the election, which reflects the broad support for GOHM within the municipalities.

New board of the municipal association

In addition to Gohm, five vice presidents were also elected. These are Elmar Rhomberg (ÖVP, Lauterach), Katharina Wöß-Krall (ÖVP, Rankweil), Dieter Egger (FPÖ, Hohenems), Tobias Bischofberger (Mellau) and Georg Bucher (SPÖ, Büs). The board of the municipal association is made up of 22 municipalities that were selected due to their regional distribution. Five cities and local chiefs from the districts of Bludenz and Feldkirch as well as from Bregenz and Dornbirn are represented.

The choice is particularly important against the background of the municipal elections that took place in March, which led to a change in the mayor team. A total of 18 new mayors have started their offices, while 41 have already left. The renewal at the local level is significant.

role of the communities in Vorarlberg

The Vorarlberg community association plays a central role in municipal self -government, which means that the concerns of the communities have to be treated priority. In Vorarlberg, the citizens are directly involved in the decision -making processes in the municipal council elections, and the number of municipal council members varies depending on the population of the municipalities between at least nine and maximum 36. This structure promotes the active participation of citizens in community development.

In addition, in some Vorarlberg communities there are regulations that impose the citizens on the citizens, to do non -profit work, also known as "Tagwerk". If you are unable to do so, you can make a replacement tax. Although these regulations are not uniform in all communities, this reflects the active civic engagement that is promoted in the region.

with Walter Gohm as a new president of the Vorarlberg Community Association, another step is to strengthen municipal self -government and to promote cooperation between the communities, which is also supported by the various instruments of direct democracy that are available to citizens in Vorarlberg, such as popular initiatives to incorporate exams.

The municipal association is therefore not only a contribution to the political landscape of Vorarlberg, but also an expression of the common commitment of the communities for a better future.