Stefan Knapp

Haus: Popular mayor retires

Stefan Knapp, Mayor of Haus im Ennstal(Bild: Sepp Pail)

After Ernst Fischbacher (Ramsau), the next popular mayor from the Enns Valley is stepping down: Stefan Knapp confirms to the "Krone" newspaper that he has been advised by doctors to take it easy and will no longer be standing in the local council elections. However, his "Haus für alle" list will continue to exist.

Stefan Knapp sounds quiet on the phone: "You can hear it, his voice is causing problems." The heavy workload and stress are affecting his vocal chords. The doctors have therefore urgently advised him to take it easy and not carry on, says the popular mayor of Haus, who became a legend in the region as a master baker ("Steffl-Bäck") and bandleader. The 73-year-old is now retiring from local politics: "I was an enthusiastic local leader who was there for everyone. Now I'm devoting more time to my family."

In a statement, Stefan Knapp takes stock of his time in office: "In recent years, we have overcome many challenges together, made our community more beautiful, launched new projects, created peaceful coexistence and thus strengthened our life together." Impartial cooperation has always been important to him.

List runs again
However, the departure of the list founder does not mean the end of the political movement: "The 'Liste Haus für alle' will continue to exist, fortunately I have already found a successor." This means that they will run again in the municipal elections with a new leader. It is also certain that the ÖVP, FPÖ and SPÖ will be vying for votes in Haus.