Mr. Mayor

Mr Mayor starts where Mr Doctor ended: in 1964. Peter Vandekerckhove interviewed more than forty mayors. The youngest is 62, the oldest 90. Many are no longer active in politics and are happy to share secrets from the mayor's office. Gripping stories about social services and spatial planning, about sausage fairs and abuse of power, about the churchwardenship and wearing the sash. Moving testimonies about the time when a mayor was still a mayor. Some are still active in politics and, even though they are well into their seventies, are running for mayor again. They testify to how Flemish municipalities have changed in the past 50 years: the time of Mr Doctor, Mr Pastor and Mr Notary is definitely over. The position of mayor has become increasingly technical and subject to more rules. These mayors differ fundamentally from each other: their political colour of course, but also their approach and their level of education. And yet. They completely agree on one thing: they believe that federal politics can learn a lot from municipal politics, where the mayor is close to 'his' people.