At a glance...
Justin Ritter (26) is an information security officer, self-employed in automation and active in social projects. He is also an open-source developer. Through work in the trades as an electrician and in horticulture, he has experienced different working environments and knows how important clear words, reliability and practical solutions are.
As a mayoral candidate, he stands for politics that enables more discussion and less conflict. Politics must not promise one thing during an election campaign and then quietly do the opposite later. Anyone who promises nature conservation must deliver nature conservation. Anyone who announces a social housing quota must not voluntarily weaken it. And anyone who puts citizen proximity in their programme should take committed residents seriously instead of sending them away.
Another focus is a more citizen-friendly administration. Digital services should be expanded for everyone who wants to use that convenience. At the same time, analogue contact points must remain available for people who cannot use digital channels, do not want to use them or value personal contact. Digitalisation must not exclude anyone; it must make administration simpler, more understandable and more accessible.
Justin's goal is to make politics accessible to everyone who wants to get involved: friendly in tone, open in conversation and reliable on the issues. In the end, we all live in the same city. That is why we need politics in which people feel heard, taken seriously and included, regardless of who they vote for.
What matters to me:
Tone matters
Whether in private life, at work or in politics: tone matters. In recent years, too many conversations have turned into opposition. Too often the goal is no longer to find solutions together, but to be right, devalue others or play whole groups off against each other.
That has to change. We have to stop thinking only about ourselves and our own group. A city only works well when we also keep in mind people who live differently, think differently or face different problems than we do.
Trust in politics is not created by big promises, but by honest conduct. That also means politics itself must speak properly again: respectfully, clearly on the issue and without resentment. Anyone who wants residents to keep talking to each other must set a good example in politics.
Digitalisation must make sense
Digitalisation is good when it helps people. It can make administration easier, shorten waiting times and relieve staff, but it must not exclude anyone. People who want to use digital services should be able to do so conveniently. People who need personal support or prefer direct contact must still have a good point of contact.
Digitalisation can make a real difference in local administration: preparing applications, exchanging documents securely, booking appointments online, seeing processing status or submitting documents without having to go to the citizens' office or call every time. This lets people fit administrative matters into their own daily lives instead of arranging their day around opening hours and appointments.
For citizens' office services, for example around ID documents, as much as legally possible should be prepared digitally so appointments become shorter, easier and more predictable.
For me, digitalisation does not mean copying bad processes expensively onto the internet. Good digitalisation first asks: what do people actually need? Then simple, understandable solutions can emerge. A website with 500 submenus is not intuitive, and a PDF document is not modern administration.
This includes open standards, data protection, open source and more digital sovereignty. Local providers and German software can help us become more independent, cheaper and more efficient in the long term. Digitalisation must not be an end in itself. It must relieve people, make administration easier to understand and remain open to everyone, digitally, analogue and above all personally.
Nature conservation that secures the future
For me, nature conservation is not a nice extra, but a matter of responsibility.
Trees, green spaces, moors, parks and unsealed areas make Oldenburg more liveable. They cool our city, protect species, improve the air and help people feel comfortable in their surroundings.
It is not enough to promise nature conservation loudly during the election campaign and then downplay it whenever decisions become concrete. Anyone who says trees matter must protect them when it counts. Anyone who says climate protection must not permanently let urban development come at the expense of green spaces. And anyone who takes responsibility must not only like nature conservation when it does not inconvenience anyone.
Nature conservation must be considered from the beginning in every decision. That reduces friction and quickly makes the supposed conflict between nature conservation and urban development irrelevant, because there should never be an option that neglects nature conservation.
I am currently 26 years old. I will personally live with the decisions we make today for a long time. Heat in the city, less green space, more sealed surfaces and above all lower quality of public space are not abstract problems for some distant future. They affect my own life, my generation and everyone who wants to live in Oldenburg after us.
For me, nature conservation means more urban green, stronger protection for trees, less unnecessary sealing and urban planning that does not treat nature as an obstacle. Oldenburg should be able to grow, but not blindly, not short-sightedly and not at the expense of quality of life.
An economy that creates the future
Oldenburg needs economic policy that works locally. Trades, retail, gastronomy, services, industry, self-employed people and start-ups create jobs, train young people and make our city lively. They do not need Sunday speeches, but reliable conditions: less unnecessary bureaucracy, faster procedures, clear contacts and an administration that enables instead of blocking.
The trades in particular need more attention. Without craftspeople there is no local energy transition, no renovations, no modern infrastructure and no functioning city. Anyone who wants to implement climate protection in practice needs people who can get things done and businesses with the conditions to do so. That includes training, business succession, affordable commercial space and fair municipal procurement.
Climate protection and business must not be played off against each other. Good climate policy can relieve businesses, save energy, foster innovation and create new opportunities. That requires advice, funding and pragmatic solutions instead of symbolic politics and extra hurdles. Climate protection only succeeds if local people and companies can implement it.
Our city centre needs new ideas instead of old reflexes. It must remain accessible, diverse and lively, with retail, culture, gastronomy, housing, quality public space and useful temporary uses. Economic policy must not look only at large investors. It must strengthen the people who found businesses, train people, work and take responsibility here.
Get people excited about politics again
Politics should not be made only for one's own voters. It should be there for everyone who lives in our city: for those who agree with a party as well as for those who have a different opinion. In the end, we use the same streets, the same schools, the same parks and the same administration. We live together in Oldenburg.
In recent years, politics has too often become a competition where making the political opponent look bad seems more important than finding solutions together. Respect, listening and above all discussion itself get lost. That harms not only the political climate, but also people's trust.
I want politics that is closer to people again. Politics that listens, explains decisions understandably and does not treat criticism as an attack. Good ideas do not become better or worse depending on which party they come from. They should be judged by whether they move Oldenburg forward.
Young people in particular need to experience again that politics is something they can take part in. Politics must not be a closed circle of parties, committees and jargon. Anyone who wants to get involved should find open doors and feel that their voice can make a difference. That is exactly what I am standing for, and I extend a hand to everyone who has lost trust.
More respect, more participation and more openness are not weaknesses. They are the foundation for people regaining trust in politics. And that trust is exactly what we need to face the challenges of the future together.