Brienzwiler council quits as attacks and workload strain local government

The entire seven-member municipal council of Brienzwiler in the Bernese Oberland has resigned after facing heavy criticism and personal attacks from residents, SRF reported. The case highlights growing difficulties in recruiting people for local government roles.

The councillors announced their resignations on October 30, citing months of heavy workloads as well as personal attacks. The municipal clerk had already quit. Residents had criticised rising administrative costs, delays in processing building applications and procedural errors related to a 30 km/h speed limit. A petition called for three council members to resign.

Brienzwiler is now under direct administration by the canton. A municipal meeting is scheduled for December 9, when residents are to elect a new council and municipal president. Members of the group that called for three councillors to step down also plan to stand as candidates.

Reto Steiner, a professor of public management at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences and head of the National Municipal Monitoring programme, said the mass resignation was unusual but that local governments increasingly faced hostility and fierce criticism. Smaller and medium-sized municipalities could be particularly exposed because they often lack professional communications teams to manage crises. In small communities, he said, residents know one another and meet regularly.

The Swiss Association of Municipalities also says the tone has become harsher. Its director, Claudia Kratochvil, said council members regularly faced verbal attacks, sometimes involving serious infringements of their personal rights. She said hostility on social media had increased, ranging from online pile-ons to explicit threats.

Recent examples include two councillors in Beinwil, Aargau, who announced their resignations in 2025 after the council faced allegations of defamation and slander on WhatsApp following a vote against a wind farm. In Gampelen, Bern, three female councillors resigned together in 2024, citing strong criticism from residents, including after a heated municipal meeting. A newly elected councillor in Schlatt, Thurgau, resigned in 2023 after receiving an anonymous threatening letter. In Rupperswil, Aargau, a councillor did not stand for re-election in 2021 after the full council was insulted at a municipal meeting.

Rising demands, limited compensation

Hostility is only part of the challenge, Steiner said. The workload has grown: municipal executive members now spend an average of nine hours a week on the role, while municipal presidents spend 19 hours. Balancing that commitment with work and family can be difficult. The tasks have also become more complex. Assessing a building application, for example, can involve legal questions, noise emissions and environmental requirements.

Compensation is often low, particularly in smaller and medium-sized municipalities. Executive members receive an average of 14,000 francs a year, while municipal presidents receive 32,400 francs; amounts rise with the size of the municipality. Pension coverage is often unavailable, which can make the roles less attractive to people considering returning to work after time away for family reasons, Steiner said.

Finding candidates has become increasingly difficult. The National Municipal Monitoring programme has tracked recruitment for local executive roles since the 1980s. At the start of the survey, 20 per cent of municipalities reported difficulty filling positions. Over the past decade, the situation has worsened: today, half of municipalities struggle to find enough candidates, Steiner said. Fewer than half have more candidates standing than there are seats to fill.