Casper Gelderblom

"My name is Casper Gelderblom, born in 1995 and Heerlen resident since 1997. After graduating from Grotius College in 2013, I spent nine years living, studying and working abroad for the most part. From Paris to Addis Ababa, from Oxford to Jerusalem, from Florence to Boston - but the summer and winter vacations I always spent at home in Heerlen. In 2022 I returned (finally!) to Heerlen to become Alderman on behalf of the Partij van de Arbeid, GroenLinks and Partij voor de Dieren. A great honor, for which I am very grateful every day. In 2024 I got an even more honorable position: in that year my girlfriend and I became proud parents of our son.

For me, my aldermanship and fatherhood come together in one mission: to work hard for a more social and sustainable city and world. I am therefore proud to represent both 'red' and 'green' parties in the Heerlen city council. After all, the fight for social justice and ecological sustainability are one as far as I am concerned. In my previous jobs, as a researcher and coordinator of the global "Make Amazon Pay" campaign, I dedicated myself to bringing those themes together. I do the same now as Alderman Housing, Environment, and Circularity; portfolios in which red solidarity and green sustainability are intimately intertwined. Thus, I am fully committed to Heerlen as a fair, livable, and sustainable residential city. With a solid new housing policy, I Health to finally regain control of the living environment in our neighborhoods: we strengthen communities by building mixed neighborhoods, put a stop to landlords, and steer towards a healthy distribution of vulnerable target groups. I am also fully committed to fighting energy poverty. With our Heerlen Sustainability Offensive, we are helping thousands of Heerlen households properly insulate their homes - starting with those with the narrowest purses and largest gaps.

One hundred percent social and sustainable, in other words. That is the policy I want to fight for - together with my fellow administrators, the city council, and as many Heerlen citizens as possible!"