Brienzwiler’s entire council resigns after conflict with residents

The entire municipal council of Brienzwiler, a municipality in the Bernese Oberland, resigned on Friday after a conflict with some residents escalated, SRF reported Monday. The seven-member executive said months of heavy workload and a petition calling for personnel changes in the council and administration preceded the decision. The municipal clerk then submitted a resignation.

Brienzwiler is now under direct cantonal administration. A municipal assembly is scheduled for December 9 to elect a new council and municipal president. The outgoing council said its collective resignation was intended to prompt the canton to take action or establish a special administration under cantonal law.

Peter Zumbrunn, district governor for Interlaken-Oberhasli, said the problems had been known for some time. He had been kept informed and had organized a roundtable, he told SRF. Zumbrunn said he regretted the resignation, adding that the council had done good work. “Democracy is demanding, and even more so in a municipality like Brienzwiler with a lean administration,” he said. He also urged people to consider how society treats those who take on public office.

In September, the council sent a report to every household outlining outstanding organizational issues, including fee administration, administrative software, electricity supply and construction. It said it had repeatedly tried, together with the district governor’s office, to speak with critics but had not found common ground. The council acknowledged that its communication could have been earlier, clearer and more regular. It said it distributed the report on paper rather than publishing it online to avoid harm to the municipality.