Farewell Citizen Councilor Joyce Grul

Message from Martin van Rooij (Chairman and Councilor)

Our 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗿 Joyce Grul says goodbye after a year of tireless efforts to make Maastricht more open, fair, and democratic.

Already during the campaign, Joyce had a major contribution to winning our seat. She then committed herself as a citizen councilor for the 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻. While we had yet to find our way around the city hall, Joyce was already thinking about which topics to put next on the agenda—always thinking about equal opportunities and having a long-term vision in mind.
Some highlights include her contribution around 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆, tackling 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 and 𝘀𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵.

Her expertise, hard work, and positive attitude have not gone unnoticed. And while we are sad to see her a little less, we are most proud that she has been asked to do what she loves most.

Dear Joyce, thank you for your courageous commitment.

Letter From Joyce Grul (Former Citizen Councillor Social Domain)

Thanks M:OED for my great time as a citizen councilor.

Full of enthusiasm, I can say that I am an experience richer. Not only did I learn a lot about Maastricht as a city, its residents, and its organizations. This experience has ensured that policy in the Social Domain has started to ‘live’ for me. I have been able to rediscover the city from different perspectives.

Even though it took some getting used to, I eventually found a place to make my voice heard. I have found that it is essential for our democracy to have as many different voices as possible. I will therefore continue to spread my positive experiences, in the hope that more people will want to get involved in our city through politics.

I am saying goodbye to my position and the council earlier than expected. In addition to my position as International Project Manager at Maastricht University, I will start working as Project Manager Sexual Safety at UM. It is my personal and professional goal to create an environment where people can grow and enjoy good health. In my opinion, sexual health is a fundamental part of this. So on to the next challenge!