New department heads elected for the city of Jena

The Jena City Council elected the department heads for the new legislative period at its meeting on 18.9.2024. The candidates proposed by Lord Mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche were confirmed in a secret ballot.

Nitzsche is delighted with the results:

"The elected department heads bring with them new experience, equally from politics and administration, both at municipal and state level. I am convinced that our cooperation will also be characterized by great trust and loyalty. I look forward to being able to continue the successful work of our city administration with a larger team at the top of the city in the future."

The voting results in detail

Kathleen Lützkendorf was elected as Alderwoman for the Department of Social Affairs, Health, Climate and Immigration with 27 votes. Of 45 votes, 40 were valid and 5 were invalid. The second candidate, Kai Bekos, received 13 votes.

Johannes Schleußner was elected as an alderman for the Department of Youth, Education, Culture and Sport with 29 votes. Of 45 votes, 43 were valid and 2 were invalid.

Benjamin Koppe was elected as alderman for the Department of Finance, Security and Citizen Services with 37 votes. The 45 votes cast were all valid. He will also be given the office of mayor and thus the role of first deputy to the Lord Mayor.

Dirk Lange was elected as deputy for the Urban Development and Environment department with 35 votes. The 45 votes cast were all valid. He was confirmed as a non-party candidate.

Kathleen Lützkendorf and Johannes Schleußner will each take office on October 1, 2024. The terms of office of Benjamin Koppe as future mayor and department head and of Dirk Lange as successor to Christian Gerlitz will begin on 01.02.2025. Mayor Christian Gerlitz will continue to head the Department of Finance, Security and Citizen Services in addition to the Department of Urban Development and Environment until this date, when he will move to the Ernst Abbe Foundation for professional reasons.

Oberbürgermeister Dr. Thomas Nitzsche (links) und Bürgermeister Christian Gerlitz (rechts) gratulieren den neu gewählten Beigeordneten der Stadt Jena: (v.l.n r.) Dirk Lange, Kathleen Lützkendorf, Johannes Schleußner, Benjamin Koppe.

© Stadt Jena