How did you get into politics?

I have always been very interested in politics. The 1st May celebrations were always a firm fixture in my annual diary, and after a while you get to know quite a lot of people as a result. It is often the case that people get involved in politics through others. It was no different for me. It was a childhood friend, Freya Van den Bossche, who asked me in 2005 whether I might be interested in standing and I jokingly answered: “I thought you were never going to ask me.” I still consider her as my godmother in politics. I think she is a fascinating young lady, a fine and very intelligent lady. As it happens, we are seated next to each other at the council meetings, which is very cosy.

In your view, what makes Ghent unique?

Ghent is an extremely fascinating city because it has all the advantages of a large cosmopolitan city, without the disadvantages. We have very low crime figures. With campaigns, such as “District get busy”, we also succeed in creating a good village atmosphere in the various districts. There is also a good social mix throughout the city, which is very important. You don’t really find ghettos here in the true sense of the word.

Culture is another aspect that makes our city unique. The Ghent Festival or ‘Gentse Feesten’ have only just finished and we already have an open air event called Ode Gand, a Floralies Procession, Jazz in the Park, you name it. In Ghent… never a dull moment! There is something going on every day. We have quite a number of theatre groups, cinemas, places to go (something for everyone), a flourishing music scene, and so on…. In this context, we often forget our splendid sports facilities. We have, for example, the Watersportbaan, the sports and recreation park Blaarmeersen… The fact that there is so much going on, also has the effect of attracting quite a number of interesting people, which in turn causes even more events to be organised. I might be slightly exaggerating but I would even say that you won’t find any more famous Belgians per square metre anywhere else than in Ghent, he says laughing. A good illustration is Ghent’s power of attraction over students. They are not only attracted by the vibrant student life. Even when they finish their degree course, they often stay around because there is so much going on both socially and culturally.

I have a dream. Just imagine that you could create a project of your choice, that cost is no object and that it does not have to be practically feasible. What would your dream be?

That Ghent becomes a type of Venice again like in the old times. We have done a brilliant job in cleaning up our rivers. Don’t forget that those Ghent inland waters really stank some twenty years ago. Now you can see the fishermen again along the Palinghuizen and that is beautiful. The water along the Oude Beestenmarkt is being opened up again and that too is a step in the right direction. But we could do so much more. It would be a dream to travel around Ghent in a boat, which is impossible now because of the two locks. It would be fantastic if transport could take place by water, both for people and freight. Just imagine that the trucks park along the city periphery and that all the CD’s and books intended for Fnac are loaded and unloaded at the rear of the Veldstraat? Ghent, the city of water, is something that fascinates me enormously. Water is romantic, and sporty, and beautiful... Swimming along the Graslei on a beautiful summer evening, would that not be wonderful?
Or the Boekentoren [Tower of Books], which has received such poor treatment over the last few decades. That should actually always have been a vibrant meeting place, such as de Vooruit, for example. If Ghent residents were to say: ”I am now going to read a good book and have a refreshing pint at the Boekentoren”, would that not be great? Just the name, “Boekentoren”. That should be a spot where people can go to read, surf the net, study and meet.

Yes, we agree entirely, and thank you for this interview.