Criticism of "idea theft"

New ATM in the village becomes a political issue before the election

The cash supply in the countryside was already better.(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

The fact that the cash supply for a small town now seems to have been saved should not really be an uproar. However, a dispute has now broken out in the municipality as to who was the first to propose these plans. The ÖVP accuses the SPÖ of "stealing ideas".

A new ATM is to be built in the Himberg district of Velm as early as next summer. As Ernst Wendl, mayor of the municipality in the district of Bruck an der Leitha, has now announced, several offers have already been obtained for its construction. There is also a location: as the weighbridge building needs to be renovated, a separate 24-hour area is to be created for the ATM. There are also sufficient parking facilities. At the next opportunity, Wendl also wants to start the decision-making process in the necessary municipal bodies. So far, so good.

Himberg SPÖ mayor Ernst Wendl (left) presents the plans for the new ATM in Velm.(Bild: Marktgemeinde Himberg)

Whose idea was it?
But there is resistance from the local ÖVP - and not because they are against the ATM. On the contrary, the People's Party has always been in favor of an ATM in Velm. "The ruling SPÖ is simply taking our proposal and presenting a course of action in disagreement with us. Incidentally, even before consultation and decision-making in the municipal council," said the Black Party. In their view, the cooperation in the village that the mayor has always called for should look different.

Just one year before the local council elections in Lower Austria, this skirmish comes as no surprise to anyone ...