Stephan Wefelscheid Hands Over Party Leadership After 17 Years to Dennis Graf
Dennis Graf Takes Helm of Koblenz's Free Voters' Association with Bold 2029 Vision
KOBLENZ. In a spirit of unity and harmony, the Free Voters' Association (FREIE WÄHLER) Koblenz has restructured its leadership. At its regular general meeting held at Casino Kesselheim, Dennis Graf was elected as the new chairman. Marco Degen, Edgar Kühlenthal, and Uwe Lawenstein will serve as his deputies, while Christian Eyter takes on the role of treasurer and Dennis Ekermann that of secretary. Kathrin Laymann, Sebastian Bozic, Christiane Wefelscheid, Manuel Eschweiler, Bernd Wefelscheid, and Stephan Wefelscheid will support the new executive board as advisory members.
Stephan Wefelscheid, the Free Voters' city council faction leader and still a member of the state parliament, who had held the chairmanship for 17 years, did not stand for re-election. "After nine years as chairman of BIZ Koblenz e.V. and another eight as head of the Free Voters' Association Koblenz, it is time for me to pass the party leadership into new hands," Wefelscheid explained, adding: "I am pleased to have found such a committed and capable successor in Dennis Graf. He is the right person at the right time. I will continue to support him and look forward to our future collaboration."
The 46-year-old mechanical engineering technician Dennis Graf, a native Swabian, has lived in Koblenz with his wife for 18 years. Having grown up in a rural area, he is intimately familiar with the challenges facing the countryside. After completing secondary school and training as a technical draftsman, he moved to Koblenz for work in 2008, where he further qualified as a mechanical engineering technician. Professionally, he designs and develops automated industrial assembly systems. In his voluntary work, he is active with the Free Voters' Association and serves on Koblenz's environmental committee, while also engaging in a local men's club and a carnival association. He ran as the Free Voters' direct candidate in the Koblenz constituency for the 2025 federal election and the 2026 state election. Drawing on these campaign experiences, he aims to strengthen the Free Voters' Association Koblenz as a formidable opposition force ahead of the 2029 local elections: "The mayoral election in the city council laid bare the black-red-green power alliance. By backing Dagmar Kranz over Stephan Wefelscheid, the SPD and Greens have shown their true colors. Now, the SPD and Greens must prove they can organize stable majorities with the CDU beyond personnel politics for the good of Koblenz. We, the Free Voters, embrace our role as the city's opposition and will fulfill it with vigor. With faction leader Stephan Wefelscheid and his deputies—Christian Altmaier, Julia Kübler, and Edgar Kühlenthal—we have highly experienced council members who know how things work."
Alongside the elections, current municipal policy issues were also on the agenda. A lively debate centered on the city administration's proposed plans for the new Max von Laue Grammar School. Members agreed that the administration's suggested location for the interim replacement building—on the grounds of Pestalozzi Primary School—was not the right choice.
Dennis Graf weighed in: "Residents of the Goldgrube district were promised that Pestalozzi Primary School would finally be rebuilt. Now, instead of a new primary school, they're being offered a temporary grammar school. Anyone familiar with the area knows traffic congestion is already heavy there. Adding a grammar school would only make the problem worse. For that reason, we reject these plans in their current form."
The assembly unanimously agreed that the site on Steinstraße would be the more suitable location. "For years, the Steinstraße area has sat undeveloped because residential construction there would require costly excavation. It's obvious that this plot should be used for the school instead—the planned modular buildings can be placed on a concrete slab without the need for digging. This would also allow Pestalozzi Primary School to be rebuilt as promised, while freeing up the current interim gymnasium site for much-needed housing. It's a win-win-win. The construction authority should urgently reconsider its plans," urged Dennis Graf.
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