Sluis Lokaal starts from a clean slate: “No mess mixed up”

The top five on the list of candidates is an amalgamation of the three factions that Sluis Lokaal hails from: Independent West, Village Interests and Tourism, and the previously split faction Local Party Sluis. In first place are veteran Arnold Scheppers, second Marian van Oostenbrugge and third Sebastiaan Keijmel de Breskens. Quaak de Heille is fifth, after Conny Tanghe from Oostburg. “This is not a mixed bag,” said Arnold Scheppers, echoing the comments that are made here and there in the new party. “We are relying on our own strength.”

“It was good from the beginning,” say Sebastiaan Keijmel and Marian van Oostenbrugge. “It’s an open, friendly and transparent club.” It also confirms Sjaak Quaak, to whom the CDA told last month that they did not want him to return to the candidate list after six terms on the council and that they were looking to affiliate with another local party.

Although views on the tourist locations are in kilometers of each other, they “have really found”. This discussion should take place before the merger of the current political groups. In the elections, they start from a clean slate, they assure. “We will now each take our own position in this discussion,” says Scheppers.

The new municipal interest also merge initially with Sluis Lokaal but then abandoned. Lia Flikweert Independent West has also opted for the VVD, instead of Sluis Lokaal.

The President Donny de Vriend always pity Nieuw Gemeentebelang finally not taking part is Sluis Lokaal. The break with the party meant that the main reason for founding the party – to avoid fragmentation – did not quite work. Because Nieuw Gemeentebelang continues to be independent, François Babijn wants to participate in Sluise’s politics again and a “left front” of GroenLinks, PvdA, D66 and SP has also been suppressed, the fragmentation only seems to increase.