Bart Somers Defends Secretary Pay Intervention Amid Controversy
- Mechelen Mayor Bart Somers faces intense scrutiny following revelations that he personally intervened with the local police zone in early 2024 to secure a higher salary for his...
- Internal email correspondence reviewed by De Morgen reveals that discussions regarding the remuneration package began in late 2023.
- In an email from early 2024, Somers urged officials to expedite the matter.
Mechelen Mayor Bart Somers faces intense scrutiny following revelations that he personally intervened with the local police zone in early 2024 to secure a higher salary for his personal secretary. Reporting by De Standaard, HLN, GVA, and Nieuwsblad shows that the staff member, a police officer who has worked with Somers for over two decades, stood to earn less at his mayoral cabinet than when Somers was a Flemish minister. This discrepancy prompted direct appeals from the mayor for a rapid administrative resolution.
A Direct Mayoral Appeal for a Long-Serving Secretary
Internal email correspondence reviewed by De Morgen reveals that discussions regarding the remuneration package began in late 2023. Somers stepped down as Flemish minister and resumed his full-time role as mayor of Mechelen, bringing his long-serving personal secretary with her police background along to his mayoral cabinet. City departments and the Rivierenland police zone subsequently explored various mechanisms to maintain her compensation level.
Internal Emails Reveal Urgency and Frustration
In an email from early 2024, Somers urged officials to expedite the matter.
“This is really not serious toward the person involved and actually not toward me either,” Somers wrote, according to the correspondence. “Can this now be tackled as an absolute priority?”
Somers Defends Remuneration as Fully Lawful
Responding to subsequent criticism, Somers maintained that his actions remained entirely appropriate and within legal boundaries.
“The regulations were followed completely,” Somers stated in comments reported by GVA and Nieuwsblad, emphasizing that no errors were made during the process.
Somers clarified that he did not interfere with the general director’s authority over city administration.
“I never intervened in files that fall under the competence of the general director of the city of Mechelen,” Somers said.
Because the staff member falls outside the city administration framework, he asserted that asking the relevant services for correct compensation matching the responsibilities of the cabinet worker was entirely evident and compliant with regulations.
Converging Controversies Hit Mechelen Administration
The remuneration dispute coincides with a series of administrative controversies facing the Mechelen local government over recent months. In late June, scrutiny arose over student workers tasked by local police with issuing traffic fines, who allegedly gained access to confidential databases and camera systems. That practice prompted ongoing investigations by the Control Body for Police Information (COC) and Committee P.
Additionally, reports in early July revealed that Mechelen, alongside dozens of other municipalities across Flanders, generated millions of euros by systematically increasing administrative costs on GAS-fines by six euros per infraction. The convergence of these files has placed local leadership under sustained public examination.