Gerd Leers

Gerd Leers
Leers in 2010
Mayor of Brunssum (interim)
In office 1 January 2018 – 11 March 2020
Preceded by	Luc Winants
Succeeded by	Wilma van der Rijt
Minister for Immigration and Asylum Affairs
In office 14 October 2010 – 5 November 2012
Prime Minister	Mark Rutte
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office discontinued
Mayor of Maastricht
In office 1 February 2002 – 1 March 2010
Preceded by	Philip Houben
Succeeded by	Jan Mans (ad interim)
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 4 September 1990 – 1 February 2002
Personal details
Born	Gerardus Bernardus Maria Leers (1951-07-12) 12 July 1951 Kerkrade, Netherlands
Party	Christian Democratic Appeal (from 1980)
Other political affiliations	Catholic People's Party (1976–1980) Labour Party (1975–1976)
Spouse	Genoveef Poelmans ​ (m. 1977)​
Children	3 children
Alma mater	Radboud University Nijmegen (Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Economics, Master of Economics)
Occupation	Politician · Civil servant · Accountant · Researcher · Management consultant

Gerardus Bernardus Maria "Gerd" Leers (born 12 July 1951) is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party. He has served in a number of posts in local government, the House of Representatives and the Cabinet.

Biography

Politics

On 4 September 1990 Leers became a Member of the House of Representatives. He was a member of the permanent parliamentary commission for transport and water management. The political peak in his House of Representatives period was the Betuwe route, of which Leers was a strong proponent. However, he was also involved in a construction fraud scandal.

Leers became Mayor of Maastricht on 1 February 2002 after Karl Dittrich withdrew his candidacy. Here, he took strict measures, such as the raid on the travellers camp Vinkenslag and stopping the subsidy to the football club MVV. He was also a proponent for amnesty for declined asylum seekers. In late 2004 Leers was chosen as best mayor of the Netherlands. This choice came after a conflict with the civil service, after heavy criticism from Leers.

While mayor, he also gained attention for his view on the policy on soft drugs. He criticised the tolerance policy that permitted consumption and sale of marihuana and hashish, but prohibited its cultivation. Leers argued for legal production under government supervision, intended to improve quality and therefore public health. Leers also proposed the construction of a "weed boulevard" on the south side of Maastricht, so that drugs tourists would no longer cause trouble in the city centre. However, this proposal was rejected.

In 2008, he failed to become mayor of The Hague and Rotterdam.

In January 2010, he resigned as mayor of Maastricht after an affair concerning a holiday villa project in Byala, Bulgaria. It was alleged that he was involved in shady deals to raise the value of villas he owned.

From October 2010 to November 2012 he served as the Minister for Immigration and Asylum Affairs in the first Rutte cabinet.

He was the acting Mayor of Brunssum from January 2018 to March 2020.

Decorations

Honours

Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau	Netherlands	7 December 2012	Elevated from Knight (2002)

External links

• Drs. G.B.M. (Gerd) Leers Parlement & Politiek (in Dutch)