Hans Peter Geil, the mayor of Haderslev in southwestern Jutland, has received a ‘nose’ (a warning) from his fellow councillors for changing the town’s sign without prior discussion.
Geil arbitrarily decided to exchange the town’s old sign, which simply stated its Danish name, for one that included both Haderslev and Hadersleben, its name in German.
READ MORE: Haderslev town sign now also in German
Not his call to make
“A mayor can decide alone on something when it is urgent, but there was nothing urgent about this case,” Jens Christian Gjesing, one of the town councillors, complained to JydskeVestkysten.
“This case should have been first sent to the finance committee or to the committee for planning and the environment, and then discussed by the municipality.”
Geil placed the new sign outside the Gammel Haderslev church in April.
Promptly removed by an unknown vandal
It was supposed to stay there for one month, but an unknown person removed it within a few days of its installation.
The case led to a heated debate across the whole country.
The mayor was criticised by the majority of the town councillors including representatives of blue bloc parties Venstre, Dansk Folkeparti and Liberal Alliance.
