🇩🇪 Deutsch | 🇬🇧 English

Writing Projects

Here I introduce my writing projects, from published pieces to work that is still taking shape.

They draw on my experience in politics and local government, explore questions about society, and increasingly include literary projects. Some are complete; others continue to evolve.

The Best Job – and Its Price

A personal account of life as a mayor—of the opportunities to make a difference, the responsibility involved, and the pressures that can come with the office.

Published so far (English translations are being added; the remaining essays are in German):

1. The Best Job – and Its Price (English) · Deutsches Original
2. Closeness: Both a Gift and a Burden
3. Do More, Spend Less – The Impossible Equation for Municipalities
4. The Loneliness of Office
5. Criticism, Scrutiny, and Personal Limits
6. When Responsibility Takes a Toll on Health
7. What Local Democracy Can Learn from This
8. What I Would Tell New Mayors

Der Fall des Zollern

A historical novel about the siege and destruction of the first Hohenzollern Castle in 1423. At its heart are people on both sides of a conflict that reaches far beyond the castle walls. The manuscript is currently being read by a small group of test readers and revised in light of their feedback.

A Second Look (Der zweite Blick)

Essays on current political and social debates. An attempt to look beyond slogans, take opposing arguments seriously, and occasionally ask a different question.

Published so far (English translations are being added; the remaining essays are in German):

1. Are We Really Working Too Little? (English) · Deutsches Original
2. Humans and AI – The Possibilities of a New Partnership
3. For Our Own Good? (English) · Deutsches Original
4. When the Loud Seem to Be the Majority – Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann’s Spiral of Silence

Eulenspiegeleien

True stories of human quirks and the absurdities of everyday life—from my army years, my time as mayor, and other stages of my life. Told with a wry smile, sometimes at my own expense.

Published so far: “I Want Out!” (English) · “Ich möchte austreten!” (German) · “Eine Frage der Raumnummer” (German) · “A Question of Room Numbers” (English)

Note on AI assistance (in German)
AI tools have been used to assist with some texts, images, and graphics in these projects. The ideas, experiences, editorial choices, and responsibility for the content remain mine.