Richard Borgmann

Richard Borgmann has been mayor for over 27 years and has never regretted it for a minute

His office is in the old part of the town hall. When he looks out of the window, he can see the Stever, the new Borg, and the hustle and bustle of the old town. There could hardly be a nicer place to work. Mayor Richard Borgmann agrees. He has been the head of the town for over 27 years, first as town manager, then as full-time mayor. "And I haven't regretted a single minute of it," he says.

When he took up his post on September 1, 1992, Lüdinghausen was still virtually unknown to him. "I was interested in the town because my father had gone to agricultural college here in the castle. And because of the great love," Borgmann looks back with a smile. Because his wife comes from Olfen and also went to school in Lüdinghausen. "She knew her way around here and that was a great help, especially in the early days," recalls Borgmann.

"Lüdinghausen was an absolute stroke of luck for us," explains the mayor, who originally comes from Marl. "Our children have found a great environment here. The town has so much to offer: Nature, history, the old town, the school landscape, an active citizenry and short distances between each other. I could go on and on. Our city center is the envy of many. But it's not God-given. You have to do a lot for it."

It's important to be close to the people

The 63-year-old could have been in Düsseldorf by now. Or in Berlin. There were enough offers. "But I didn't want that. I need to be close to the people. I want to see and experience the results of my work." That's exactly what makes the work so beautiful and exciting for him. "You can see what you do. You get a lot of positive feedback. And you deal with great people."

With Lüdinghausen residents as well as well-known personalities. He particularly remembers his encounters with former German President Richard von Weizsäcker, former Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher and high jumper Ulrike Meyfarth. Back then, Genscher had told him how to win over foreign guests. "He had a globe on his desk and always turned it so that the guests' home country was visible," says Borgmann. "That impressed me. Home is important for everyone. And so he immediately created a connection."

Mayor - the office of the whole family

In his 27 years as mayor, his work has changed a lot. On the one hand, the tone has become harsher due to social media. There are many more personal attacks than before. On the other hand, people's sense of entitlement has increased. "Before you do something yourself, you look for a scapegoat. And that's often the city council and the mayor," says Borgmann. His wife has also felt this occasionally when someone has complained to her about her husband and she has had to justify herself. "The office of mayor is not an office held by one person, but by an entire family," says the 63-year-old. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank my wife and three children for their fantastic support."

A cinema again at last

Wasserburgenpark, the market square, the sports hall for school, club and competitive sports - there are many things to list. But which project is he particularly proud of? "The cinema," says Richard Borgmann without thinking. "When the old cinema was closed in 2007, little children stood in front of me and said: please give us the cinema back. That touched me. That's why I'm delighted that after a long period of planning, tough negotiations and a lot of persistence, we've managed to bring a cinema back to the city." His perseverance and the large network he has built up over the years played a major role in this.

Are there any less pleasant experiences? "As mayor, you have to deal with both the best and the worst things in a city. The worst was when a firefighter died on a call-out in 1995. Or when a young man drowned in the canal and nobody knew where he had gone to begin with. It was incomprehensible when the auditorium of the Antonius-Gymnasium burned down and you stood right next to it and couldn't do anything except admire the skill with which the Lüdinghausen volunteer fire department prevented even greater damage."

However, he wouldn't want to do any other job. "The positive part of my work clearly outweighs the negative." Nadine Wenge

By the way: Richard Borgmann will go down in the city's history twice: As the last full-time city director and the first full-time mayor.

Three questions for the mayor

What is your favorite thing to do in your free time? First and foremost my family, we now have a very cute grandchild. I like to go jogging in the morning. It clears my head and often gives me the best ideas. I also enjoy hiking.

Do you have a favorite book? I'm currently reading a lot of children's books to myself.

What makes Lüdinghausen special for you? I get what I need here. And what I don't get here, I don't need.