The list of candidates for the mayoralty referendum consists of two members from the PvdA (Labor Party, a socialist party), notably Rob van Gijzel and Leen Verbeek. The Belgian dr. ir Anja Palmans, assistant professor at the department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, has a distinct opinion on the limited list: “I do not think that deciding between two capable persons from the same party is very useful.” Despite her criticism she did go and vote: “I voted for Rob van Gijzel. I found his remark that he only wanted to be mayor of Eindhoven very good; it demonstrates that he is not going to be a mayor who merely regards this function as the next step in his career. Moreover, Eindhoven is strongly in the ascendant, and a charismatic person like Rob van Gijzel can help enhance the city’s positive image.”

Dr. Gudrun Kiesmüller, assistant professor at the department of Technology Management, did not know which candidate she was going to vote for at the time when this article was written. Although she thinks the referendum is a good means of involving the inhabitants in the city, she does have some doubts: “The referendum is valid if the turnout exceeds 30 percent of the persons entitled to vote. However, if there was a minimal turnout, I would find the outcome difficult to accept: I would not feel properly elected as a candidate. In my homeland Germany, federal state of Bavaria, the mayor is elected directly by the citizens. A candidate must get at least 50 percent of the votes cast. If the first round is unsuccessful, a second ballot takes place between the two candidates with the most votes.” 

The Spanish researcher Judit Canadell Ayats, who works at the department of Technology Management, is not used to referendums for mayors either: “In Spain you can only vote for a party, not for candidates for the mayoralty. Prior to the elections the party itself decides on a candidate who will be mayor if the party is victorious.” Canadell has lived in Eindhoven for only six months and her Dutch is not very good, so she lacks important information that is required to gain proper insight into the referendum: “ I didn’t vote. The main reason is that I didn’t have much information in English about which kind of political system they want to develop in our city.”/.