The departure of an external consultant appears to have brought relief to staff at the Sandweiler municipality, but the municipal executive board is allegedly treating employees unequally, and tensions persist.
In early 2025, the municipality made headlines after the executive board was accused of hiring an external consultant with excessive power, and municipal officials complained of a toxic working environment. Following discussions of these allegations in two local council meetings, media coverage subsided. However, the question remains whether the problems have truly been resolved.
The external consultant in question had received a contract under which he could have earned up to €460,000 over two years. Opposition parties – the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) and the Green Party (Déi Gréng) – criticised the arrangement, arguing on one hand that the position had not been properly tendered, and on the other that the consultant wielded too much influence. The majority coalition of the Democratic Party (DP) and the Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) defended their approach, stating that the consultant had no influence on daily operations and was merely present to assist the executive board when necessary.
Simone Massard-Stitz of the CSV confirmed that the external consultant is no longer with the municipality and that his departure happened “from one day to the next.” She explained that the opposition tried to clarify the circumstances but was blocked by the executive board, and that no official reason was ever given for the consultant’s departure. Jean-Paul Roeder of the Green Party reported a similar experience. Both opposition politicians said they do not know whether the decision was made by the consultant or the executive board. However, they suspect that public pressure eventually became too great for both sides.
Upon enquiry, the Ministry of Home Affairs stated that the file had been examined and the municipality had been informed that the external consultant’s contract had been based on false grounds.
Meanwhile, Mayor Claude Mousel said the consultant had simply fulfilled his task and was therefore no longer needed. However, according to Roeder, this does not mean the executive board has stopped relying on external expertise. He said the opposition now fears that the consultant will be replaced by “a renowned consultancy firm from Luxembourg,” which would advise the municipality “at every turn” and is already quite present. “If we are now swapping one for the other, we haven’t actually achieved much,” Roeder criticised.
Regarding the atmosphere among municipal staff, sources indicate that while there is relief that the external consultant has left, tensions persist. RTL has received confirmation of this from multiple sides. For instance, the municipal executive board is said to be allegedly favouring recently hired officials while suspecting longer-serving employees of spying for the opposition.
On this point, Massard-Stitz shared an anecdote. She recalled being unclear about a specific amendment to a special development plan (PAP) and requesting to speak with the engineer responsible to have it explained to her. While she was in the engineer’s office, the mayor allegedly entered, leading Massard-Stitz to wonder whether he was “lying in wait” for her. According to Massard-Stitz, she was examining the plans and told the engineer that she would take a photo to review it later. At that moment, the mayor came in and allegedly asked the civil servant what he had just shown her. Massard-Stitz claims the engineer replied that he had explained the PAP amendment to her. The mayor then allegedly demanded that the engineer show him the exact page he had shown her.
Massard-Stitz described this as a humiliation of the civil servant. Roeder, meanwhile, said he no longer asks civil servants directly for information, as this has led on several occasions in the past to them being put under pressure.
Mayor Mousel rejects these accusations. He maintains that he treats all municipal employees equally and that there are no problems between staff members and the executive board. He added that the opposition is merely trying to stir up trouble. Instead, Mousel accuses Massard-Stitz of making some staff uncomfortable by frequently behaving as if she were still the mayor.
It should also be noted that a change at the top of the Sandweiler municipality took place in September, when Claude Mousel of the DP replaced Jacqueline Breuer of the LSAP as mayor. While the opposition accuses Mousel of immediately feeling personally attacked, he accuses the CSV and the Green Party of being unable to accept that they are no longer in the majority.
