Government

Meeting the Mayors of Glendale and Memmingen - two generations of politicians and policy styles

AICGS Social Divisions

As part of our visits in Glendale and Memmingen, we met the mayors of both cities. Both of them welcomed the AGI project participants and their questions. We discovered how the way a local politician defines his or her role impacts the communities they serve.

The week we arrived in Memmingen, the newly-elected Mayor Jan Rothenbacher was just inaugurated the day of our meeting. After talking to our group on how he wants to tackle issues in the city he shared his views in a short interview in front of the city hall. You can watch the interview in English:

Interview Mayor Rothenbacher of Memmingen 23.03.2023 #aicgsdialogue

Struggle for Freedom and Faith

Memmingen, the City of Human Rights, dates back to 1525. Farmers used the Protestant Reformation to organize and fight for liberties. The results were the 12 articles demanding concrete improvements to their lives.  

But which rights and liberties do we struggle for now? The struggle for human rights never ends.

In Glendale we met Tom, a Methodist pastor at Glendale First United Methodist Church, who wants to overcome divisions in the community. He called Sunday morning the most segregated hour of the week in the United States, because many churches are still not racially diverse. In his own congregation he also encounters divisions, namely on the issue of including members of the LGBTQ+ community in the church. He would welcome everybody to his church, but not everybody is ready for that. His humble sermon touched the whole group. He gave one of the most open and reflective answers of all interlocutors when asked about segregation. Tom’s door seemed very open.

As was the door to St. Martin in Memmingen during our visit. The church invited everybody in love no matter of their legal status for an open day of blessings.