Halsima herself is a true fan of art. “But I’m not an expert,” she quickly adds. She herself prefers to be photographed romantically. “I haven’t really thought about where I’m going to hang it yet. It depends on how great this is for me and my family. I’ll probably hang it at work. I don’t know if my family wants to look at my face on canvas all day.”

to interview

Halsema says he finds his photography very exciting. “It doesn’t happen often. I get bullied a lot. I know any features on my face that I would like to be enlarged.”

Once she is settled, Akyol begins the interview. He is especially curious why Halsema became mayor. “You wrote in your book ‘You won’t see me with a chain of offices.’ This is very special for someone who is now mayor,” he notes.

The mayor agrees. “I didn’t have much ambition. I was just thinking about the mayor of Amsterdam. If I could, I would. But I’ve been doubting it for a long time. It affects your family and your freedom. It was especially difficult for my children growing up.”

family

When Akyol asks her if she feels guilty about it, Halsema interrupts the conversation. “Of course sometimes I feel guilty about it. But you know, I’m a little tired of talking about family. This is a woman’s thing. It’s often women who are interviewed around the family. Especially for women drivers. This is a question I think ministers or presidents are rarely asked about. municipalities, whether they feel guilty about their families.”

Presenter Akyol decides to leave the question about her family for what it is and move on to another topic. He wonders if she is satisfied with anything in her life. “I can be incredibly satisfied with the things I have done. I am very satisfied with the way I have served as mayor for the past three years. It has not always been easy. The moment you find yourself disorganized, you should immediately make a decision that The city needs someone else. You can’t do that to your residents. You’re doing it for the city.”

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