Roland Ries

Roland Ries ( born January 11, 1945 in Niederlauterbach in Alsace ) is a French politician (PS) and the incumbent mayor of Strasbourg. He also belongs since 2004 to the French Senate.

Life

Roland Ries was born in early 1945 in Niederlauterbach in northern Alsace. He spent his school years in Strasbourg, where he also began a teaching degree. In 1968 he received his diploma from the University of Strasbourg and then worked for several years as a teacher.

In 1974, he joined the Socialist Party (French Socialist Party, PS ) and in 1983 elected to the Strasbourg city council.

From 1989 to 1997 he was First Deputy Mayor and Vice - President of the Urban Community of Strasbourg ( the political merger of agglomeration Strasbourg). In this position, he also led the construction of the first two lines of the tramway Strasbourg.

From 1997 to 2000, he finally held the office of the mayor of Strasbourg and the President of the city composite, after Catherine Trautmann ( PS), the then incumbent, was appointed Minister of Culture of France. After returning, he made his official return to Catherine Trautmann from, but in the local elections in March 2001, was defeated by Fabienne Keller ( UDF).

Roland Ries then belonged to 2001-2008 of opposition in the City Council. In the mayoral elections in early 2008 he stood as a candidate and was finally with almost 60 % of the votes was elected mayor again in Strasbourg on 16 March 2008. The post of president of the city composite he left Jacques Bigot ( PS), the mayor of Illkirch- Graffenstaden.

Roland Ries is made since he took office strengthened for the European orientation of Strasbourg and the further development of the EUR district Strasbourg -Ortenau one, as its first President, he serves as of February 5, 2010.