Former architect Daniel Stadlin looks to a seat in the cantonal government

Daniel Stadlin is hoping to be elected to the cantonal a government on 7 October. Should he then be chosen to become director of planning, he would be able to bring much expertise with him, after all, he is an architect by profession. However, there is another reason he would like to succeed, namely in order to be able to give his party, the Green Liberal Party (GLP), a greater profile.

The 64-year-old has actually been a member of the cantonal parliament since 2011, though with only three other members, the GLP is not considered large enough to be a parliamentary party as such, and this is what he would like to change. He is also well aware that, as the representative of such a small party, he has only a slim chance of being elected to the government.

In addition to his interest in planning, the father of two is also interested in environmental matters, with one preoccupation of his being the state of the water in Lake Zug, which has a high phosphate content, mainly due to adjacent agricultural practices. “This is an area where something must be done. For decades there has been occasional discussion about a culvert linking it with Lake Lucerne with water fed off into the River Reuss, too. At least we ought to re-examine this matter and see what is actually feasible,” he said.

However, Stadlin is also interested in finance and keeps very well informed, reading regularly not only the Zuger Zeitung but also the Neue Zürcher Zeitung and Tages-Anzeiger newspapers, often at the Treichler, Grand Café or Ascot cafés (photograph), hence he could well see himself sitting on finance committees, too. He is generally against raising taxes and feels the government really needs to assess where money is spent and whether it is really necessary. Although he, himself, has worked in cantonal administration, he feels this is an area where costs could be cut.

Another reason why he feels it is important the canton keeps a tight grip on its finances is because international framework conditions are continually changing, not to mention the contribution Zug has to make to the National Equalisation Fund, over which it has no control, adding that the sum paid is roughly the equivalent of the canton’s total income from tax from individuals. He went on to compare Zug with the Spanish region of Catalonia, where the much of the tax raised goes to other, poorer parts of Spain. However, as the burden of the payment to the NFA on the people of Zug is not such that individuals are really suffering, there is little public protest (unlike in Catalonia).

Bearing in mind his views, the journalist of the Zuger Zeitung asked him why he was a member of GLP and not FDP. Indeed, Stadlin acknowledged that in many respects he was more liberal than the FDP but concern for the environment was the overriding factor, not least with regard to future generations.