Sabine Groß cannot be happy that the Offenbach city council did not find a majority in favor of the bike lane that has been set up as a test on the busy forest road for a year. Apparently, the head of the Green Party’s mobility department remains calm when you talk about the bicycle lane, which is disappearing again. She knows that the transport transition, like local politics, requires a lot of patience and that setbacks are inevitable. Groß also knew this six years ago, when the Offenbach-born lawyer chose an unusual path and gave up a top position in the Hessian Ministry of Economic Affairs to become head of the social affairs department in Offenbach become. Three years later she also became mayor, replacing the Christian Democrat Peter Freier, who in turn had taken over this post from Peter Schneider (The Greens). Supporting children and parents in the focal point Almost half-time as mayor and representative of Mayor Felix Schwenke (SPD), she stands out The Greens in the state parliament are making changes that could also stimulate Groß’s imagination. If, for example, her former boss, party colleague and former Hesse Economics Minister Tarek Al-Wazir actually moved from the state parliament to the Bundestag, the chances for a woman from Offenbach might not be bad. Especially for a lawyer who, as a department head and former head of department for Federal Council affairs and EU coordination in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, has considerable expertise. When asked about it, Groß smiles and answers briefly: “No, I’d rather stay here.” She made this decision in order to work closer to people again. It fits that when asked what important things she has achieved in the city, she mentions the children, youth and family center in Lauterborn, which cost the city ten million euros. The district in the south-west of Offenbach is considered a hotspot; the proportion of citizens’ benefit recipients is higher than elsewhere, as is the proportion of people with a migrant background. This makes it all the more important to support children and parents, says Groß. Language acquisition is crucial, which is why the city stepped in when the federal government said goodbye to language support in daycare centers, as Groß explains, which is not only responsible for mobility and the environment but also for the municipal daycare centers. The state is now funding language training. In order to help the children, you always have to keep an eye on parents, because they need to know where they can get what kind of help, says Groß. Offenbach is intensively advertising for daycare workers. Basically, the conditions have been created in Offenbach to have 8,200 childcare places for them To offer daycare children, said youth welfare office manager Roberto Priore, who is also the manager of the city’s daycare centers, recently. However, only around 6,700 were recently allocated. Here too, the shortage of skilled workers is the real obstacle, says Groß. The city is therefore intensively recruiting daycare workers. Studies show that Offenbach has great potential as a rapidly growing city. However, this can only be achieved if children from poor families can also be supported.More on the topicAlthough Offenbach’s budget situation has temporarily slowed down the expansion of the electric bus fleet and local transport as a whole, the head of the mobility department is satisfied with the current offer. For them, climate-friendly local transport is part of the big task that Offenbach also faces: CO2 emissions must continue to fall, and greening and unsealing must ensure that the city does not heat up more and more in the summer. The big thing is prepare the city for the consequences of climate change. This also includes implementing the sponge city principle. Which means, for example, collecting precipitation and using it for irrigation instead of drinking water as a foodstuff.
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