KPÖ targets Klagenfurt council seat with housing campaign

The KPÖ has named social worker Bea Samwald as its lead candidate for Klagenfurt’s next city council election, according to ORF. She aims to win a seat in February, after the party missed out on representation with 1.5 percent of the vote at the last election.

Housing will be the centrepiece of Samwald’s campaign. She called for better management of municipal housing, transparent allocation procedures and the construction of more affordable homes.

“Ordinary families simply cannot afford the condominiums currently being built, and a different solution is needed,” Samwald said.

Samwald said she also planned to hold public consultation hours, following a model used by Graz Mayor Elke Kahr. She said she would return several hundred euros of her income to residents through a social fund, although she would not earn as much as the salary ceiling set by the KPÖ because she would be an ordinary city councillor.

She also called for lower politicians’ salaries. The KPÖ plans to focus its campaign on door-to-door conversations and has budgeted 20,000 euros for the effort.