Sybrand Buma officially sworn in as mayor of Leeuwarden

After arriving in the municipality by train on Monday afternoon, former CDA national leader Sybrand Buma was sworn in as the mayor of Leeuwarden in the Jacobijnekerk in the city.

Translation by Traci White

Omrop Fryslan reports that Buma arrived in the nearby town of Grou by train and travelled onward to Leeuwarden by bus for the ceremony in the Grote of Jacobijnekerk in the city. The new mayor’s transport of choice were deliberate gestures: Buma reportedly wanted to emphasise the importance of good trains connections in the north and to encourage the use of more sustainable modes of transportation.

After arriving at the medieval church, Buma shared remarks with crowd of local and national politicians in Dutch and Frisian, and the new mayor says that his priorities are the city’s investment agenda, specifically health care and culture.

Getting to know the area

Buma, who was born and raised in Friesland, is planning to visit the neighbourhoods of the city and the towns within the municipal borders of Leeuwarden in the coming months in order to hear from residents themselves about what they see as the biggest issues impacting the area and see what kinds of solutions they would like to see.

Buma is succeeding Ferd Crone, who had served as mayor of the Frisian capital city since 2007. The former CDA (Christian Democratic Appeal) parliamentarian is also the leader of the Frisian Safety Region. Becoming the mayor of a Frisian city has been something of a family business for the Buma: Sybrand’s father Bernard was the mayor of Workum and Sneek, and his grandfather Sybrand was mayor of Stavoren and Wymbritseradiel. Bernard Buma also arrived for his swearing in ceremony in Sneek via public transportation.

Vandaag neem ik de Leeuwarder ambtsketen over van @CroneFerd. Ferd, veel dank voor je inspirerende burgemeesterschap. Het is een voorrecht om achter je bureau plaats te mogen nemen. pic.twitter.com/PR2CNrqFEl

— Sybrand Buma (@sybrandbuma) August 26, 2019

Identity

During his time in the Dutch parliament, Buma was the figurehead for the CDA while it was a part of the Rutte cabinet and oversaw a right-leaning agenda for the party which equated patriotism to Dutch identity, calling for Dutch school children to sing the national anthem in class and decrying “identity politics”. He is one of the few right wing politicians to take the helm in a traditionally left-leaning city of Leeuwarden throughout its history.

Photo source: Municipality of Leeuwarden