Ausländerbeiratswahl in Munich - Elections

Hiya,
http://www.auslaenderbeirat-muenchen.de is Munich City Council's Foreigners Committee working for the rights and needs of all non-Germans in Munich.
Elections for the committee will take place this year.
Unfortunately if the turnout only reaches the size of the last election (which took place in 1997 where only 9% of those able to vote actually voted), this could mean an end to the Committee (and that nice summer festival in Westpark).
Actually, they are also looking for candidates, particularly Europeans (if you look at the members, Turkey and former Yugoslavian states are well represented). Details are on the website.
Thought that it might be of interest to some of you,
Katrina

Interesting thought

Toytown running Munich.

Councilor Jimbo anyone

Shut your face Ken - I run this town.

I like the sound of that...

Is anyone going to vote in this? Indeed, has anyone here ever voted in this? Seems like a complete waste of space to me.

I didn't vote the one time I knew about it, but that was because I figured I wasn't going to be here long enough to bother. How silly of me.

Doesn't seem like a waste of time or space to me. As a non-German, non-EU resident of Munich, Germany, I get the great pleasure of payíng taxes but no representation. At least these guys are there.

And with the founding of the women only swimming sessions in Harlaching, they are certainly stirring things up
I saw the CSU protestors on ARD's "Monitor" last night calling it "Muslimerinnenschwimmen" and when any white German women said, well, I like it too, they were accused of having a Muslim husband!
So anything that flags up this kind of prejudice is a good thing.
I did not vote in the last one as I didn't live in Munich then but I will be voting this time.
Katrina

Katrina, did you vote here? Their website's terrible, and I'm trying to figure out if they all get elected together every six years (that's how long the term is) or if they have elections every two years and only rotate a third of them out. If you only get a chance every six years that's really a pain, 'cause then it'd only be around again in 2010.

There are supposed to be two seats reserved for people from the Americas ("without the US") but there's only one who got elected -- from Venezuela. Looks like no other North or South American tried to get elected. Nobody from Europe who's not from the former Yugoslavia or Greece. Oh wait, that's wrong, there's a Pole and a Swiss.

Munich population statistics just for the heck of it.

I didn't vote because I've always had the impression that they're only about Flüchtlinge, Asylanten, and Muslims having problems. Primarily women's rights stuff. Which they'll do fine without me I'm sure, I'd rather join the Greens. Has anyone here ever had anything to do with them?

ever heard of Pastor Martin Niemöller?

Gen, I voted this time because we all got sent the papers at work so there wasn't really a reason not to. I understand that it is a 6 year term as well.
Mind you, for me it is less of a big deal as I'm an EU citizen so can vote in the local elections here if I choose so I guess there is more reason to get involved if you come from one of the non-EU states.

Crap website they have. I couldn't find any info on the when/where of the elections or the candidates. Did anyone else?

@Kat
They only have info about last year's election. Look here. Look under "Wahlvorschläge". You will find the national groups and their candidates presented.

I volunteered for them when I first moved to Munich (way back when), it definately is more of a cultural institiution than a political one (power wise). And, as it was so unfortunately phrased to me then, more for the "other foreigners" - in other words, they couldn't figure out why an English speaking foreigner was there trying to help out. Apparently there aren't enough of us here to matter? Anyway, I still liked the idea (this was two beirat elections ago) helped stuff a few envelopes and stuff, but didn't see the point after a while.

I think that this is a really good thing. Unfortunately I am not a resident of Munich but of Erding But some of you other guys that live in Munich should definitely give it a go. The City council of Munich could use a little Toytown power!

Yup, sure have. I object to your insinuation that I'm a bad person if I don't expend my limited political energy on Frauenbadetag. Or were you intentionally invoking Godwin's law to end the discussion?

Moving on from that rocky start: maekelborger, according to your profile you live in Rostock. Do you vote in the Ausländerbeirat there? I didn't find one on rostock.de, neither did I find any statistics as to the foreign population. As a Brit, you can vote in regular city elections anyway, right? Have you posted with a northern perspective on the thread about non-German speaking kids being barred from Bavarian schools?

DDBug's experiences at the AB strengthen my impression that they don't currently concern themselves with non-Flüchtlinge, non-Asylanten, etc. Their 5 committees are limited to things that concern those groups. All their posters are about women's swimming day at the pool and stuff like that. I asked at the Ausländerbeirat about what they do for non-Flüchtlinge, non-Muslims etc and they mentioned the cultural festival every summer. Big deal. The city of Munich has 22 different committees. The Ausländerbeirat doesn't have anything to do with city planning, traffic planning, the environment.

My impression is that the foreigners are led to believe that they have political representation through this Ausländerbeirat, and they don't. The Beirat is only "asked to advise on issues that concern foreigners" -- as if those issues could be condensed to the Frauenbadetag and Essenspakete in the Asylantenheime. See the statement in this PDF file, in English. I read a bunch of the party platforms, and the Liberale Liste is the only one that had any western Europeans in it, and the only one that even mentioned the Kommunalwahlrecht for all foreigners living in Munich. I guess I'll keep them in mind for 2010. (BTW the City Council is also only elected every six years, all of them at once. I think that's crazy, to only have political participation every six years.)

Guess I'll just have to join a regular German party and be active in non-governmental organizations (as I already am) - but not the Ausländerbeirat.

Some VERY interesting posts above from DDBug and Gen (Jesus, I'm being nice today).

Yes, I think ther Beirat is largely a toothless sop though I did vote for it.

I think it is very interesting how English speakers are generally thought of as "not being "real" Ausländer", including by other non-Germans as well.

I remember being in a casual conversation with some Turkish lads once and they said to me "oh you have a pretty liberal attitude towards Ausländer" or similar and when I said that I WAS an Ausländer their jaws dropped and they looked at me kind of going , no, he's too white!

------------------

By the way, CSU policy is to abolish the Ausländerbeirat if they ever gain control of Munich City Council. They say it is not needed as it is "easy to become a German Citizen now".