Gerard Oosterwijk took the oath of office as a municipal councillor in Elsene on Thursday evening. He is replacing Karen Kaneza (PS), who is taking parental leave. Together with OCMW councillor Elena Gil Puchau (Vooruit), Oosterwijk wants to work as a municipal councillor towards a clean and affordable municipality where everyone always feels safe.
Gerard Oosterwijk (40) is originally from the Netherlands but has been living in Ixelles with his family for 10 years. He was previously a member of the Public Centre for Social Welfare (OCMW) council in the municipality. He is one of the initiators of the ‘I Vote Where I Live’ campaign, which aims to register non-Belgian Brussels residents for the municipal elections. In the previous local elections, he was on the PS-Vooruit list in Ixelles to give a voice to both Dutch speakers and the many European residents in local politics.
“It is a great honour to represent all residents of Elsene, including many non-Belgian inhabitants. Exciting times lie ahead and important decisions about what this majority with a socialist mayor will stand for. I can now defend our key priorities on behalf of our voters, such as safe infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, underground containers for cleanliness, and sufficient places in Dutch-language schools and crèches.” says brand-new city councillor Gerard Oosterwijk (Vooruit).