Mechelen Opposition Demands Investigation into Mayor Bart Somers Over Secretary Salary Increase
All opposition parties in Mechelen are demanding an investigation into Mayor Bart Somers (Voor Mechelen/Anders) after revelations that he personally pressed for a salary increase for his personal secretary, who is formally on the payroll of the Rivierenland Police Zone. The controversy, first reported by De Morgen, has ignited political tensions in the Flemish city and prompted calls for transparency and accountability.
According to VRT NWS, the opposition parties N-VA, Vlaams Belang, CD&V, and PVDA have all raised serious questions about Somers’ role in the salary adjustment. The newspaper De Morgen reviewed email correspondence showing that Somers urged the personnel service to resolve the matter with “absolute priority.”
The Controversy
The case centers on a secretary who has worked as Somers’ personal assistant since 2001 and has been on the police payroll since 1999, taking political leave to work on his cabinet. When Somers resigned as Flemish Minister of Internal Affairs at the end of 2023 to return full-time as mayor of Mechelen, his secretary followed him but faced a potential income loss, as mayoral cabinet staff earn less than ministerial cabinet staff.
According to HLN, the solution involved appointing the secretary to a higher level (level B) position at the police, granting her a salary supplement for exercising a higher office. The arrangement was confirmed as compliant with regulations by the general director of the city of Mechelen.
Somers sent an email in early 2024 to the personnel service stating: “This is really not serious toward the person involved and actually not toward me either. Can this now be tackled as an absolute priority?” The email has become the focal point of the controversy.
Opposition Demands
The opposition parties have taken differing positions on the matter. Vlaams Belang is demanding Somers’ resignation, calling the affair “gesjoemel” (fiddling/rigging) and pointing to previous controversies. “Again and again it’s about power being used to let personal interests prevail,” said Dries Devillé of Vlaams Belang, as reported by HLN. “We therefore demand the resignation of Bart Somers.”
N-VA is calling for an investigation by the governor and the Agency for Internal Governance, as well as convening the deontological committee of the Mechelen city council. “We don’t know the full context but the people of Mechelen deserve answers,” said faction leader Freya Perdaens. CD&V has similarly called for an investigation, while PVDA described it as a “striking example of self-serving politics.”
“Legal or not. This reinforces the image of a political class that takes good care of itself and its environment,” said Sara van Rompaey, PVDA faction leader, according to VRT NWS.
Somers’ Defense
Somers has vigorously defended his actions, insisting that nothing illegal occurred. “I have done nothing illegal,” he told VRT NWS. “Not asking for a salary increase would be a deontological error.” He has also accused journalist Joris van der Aa of De Morgen of engaging in “atmosphere creation” against him for months, linking multiple stories together.
According to RTV, the general director of the city of Mechelen has confirmed that nothing illegal happened in the salary increase process. Experts have largely supported Somers’ position that he was within his rights to ask for the salary adjustment, though some note it is “borderline.”
A Pattern of Controversies
The salary dispute comes amid a series of controversies that have buffeted the Mechelen administration in 2026. In June, the Control Body for Police Information (COC) opened an investigation into whether the Rivierenland Police Zone used student workers to write traffic tickets, as reported by VRT NWS. In July, reports revealed that Mechelen earned millions from systematically increasing administrative costs on GAS-fines. There was also the controversy over the sale of kitchen equipment from top chef Seppe Nobels.
According to inMechelen.be, the current affair raises questions about the separation between politics and administration, and how far a mayor may go to protect his own staff. The police zone is funded with public money, and Mechelen, as the largest center municipality, contributes the most.
What’s Next
The matter will be discussed at the next Mechelen city council meeting at the end of September 2026. Somers has said he will answer all questions “without violating the privacy of the person involved.” The controversy adds to mounting pressure on a mayor who was once celebrated as the world’s best mayor, having received the World Mayor Prize in 2016 for his work on refugee integration and urban renewal.
For Somers, who has been mayor of Mechelen since 2001 and previously served as Flemish Minister-President and party chairman of Open VLD, the coming weeks will be critical. The opposition has made clear it will not let the matter rest, and the September city council meeting is expected to be a contentious affair.