Overview
- At a Mainz press conference on Oct. 8, Jutta Steinruck warned that further municipal savings would endanger democratic life.
- She said three decades of cuts in Ludwigshafen have exhausted viable reductions, with poorer residents hit hardest as wealthier households move to suburbs.
- Her appeal seeks swift action at state, federal and European levels, and she praised state premier Alexander Schweitzer for recognizing the problem.
- Steinruck, who left the SPD in 2023, said she is not currently considering rejoining the party.
- She remains in office until year’s end after not seeking re-election, with a runoff on Oct. 12 between Klaus Blettner (CDU/FWG) and Jens Peter Gotter (SPD) to pick her successor.