Next bombshell Sauna-gate and police spat - Bülach ZH descends into chaos ahead of elections
Two weeks before the general elections, Bülach is not calming down. After the sauna scandal at the sewage treatment plant, the next bombshell follows: the president of the commission of inquiry resigns - and an explosive report on the town police is not allowed to be published for the time being.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- In Bülach ZH, a secret wellness facility in the sewage treatment plant was made public.
- At the same time, a PUK has been investigating events at the municipal police for a year.
- The president of the PUK resigns unexpectedly and an interim report may not be published before the elections.
A hidden wellness area was discovered in the Bülach ZH sewage treatment plant - with a sauna, multi-person bathtub, shower and fitness equipment in the basement. According to a report by the audit committee, the facility has existed since 2000 at the latest.
Explosive: the city councillor responsible, Andrea Spycher (SVP), knew about it since 2021, but did not inform the public. In retrospect, she admitted that more transparent communication would have been appropriate.
City police also have problems
But that's not all. For around a year, a parliamentary commission of inquiry has been looking into events at the Bülach municipal police force, as reported by the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper. The focus is on staff departures and suspected irregularities within the administration.
A credit of CHF 100,000 was originally granted for the investigations. As this has been exhausted, parliament has now approved an additional 90,000 francs.
Resignation shortly before the election
In the midst of this heated situation, the chairman of the commission of inquiry, Thomas Obermayer (SVP), also resigned unexpectedly. He is not only leaving the commission, but also the city parliament with immediate effect - even though he was a prominent candidate in second place on the list for the upcoming elections. He cited personal reasons as his reason.
Laura Hartmann will now take over as head of the PUK.
Particularly sensitive: An announced interim report on the investigation was to be published before the elections. Nothing will come of this for the time being. The district council prohibited publication by presidential decree.
Reason: The rules of procedure only provide for a final report, not an interim report. This means that the findings to date will remain under lock and key until after the ballot.
