Too greedy for jobs: ÖVP state councilor quits
Tirol’s ÖVP has been thrown into turmoil after Sicherheitslandesrätin Astrid Mair applied for a senior police position while intending to remain in the Landesregierung (state government). The controversy has now ended with her resignation.
Mair, 44, had applied to become deputy head of the Fremdenpolizei (foreigners and border police division) within the Landespolizeidirektion (State Police Directorate). She confirmed that she was the only applicant and said the final decision was still pending in Vienna.
The former police officer had been serving in Tirol’s government since 2022. Before entering politics, she was Bezirkspolizeikommandantin (district police commander) in Kufstein, where she had been released from regular police duties to carry out her political responsibilities.
Mair had apparently hoped that she could take the police position while remaining in government, with another officer temporarily covering her police role until she eventually returned. She defended the plan by saying she had spent most of her professional life in the police force and wanted to make sure she could continue her career there.
She also argued that she had previous experience in the Fremdenpolizei and understood the complex work involved. Mair said she was not tired of politics and remained passionate about her responsibilities, describing herself as a politician “for a time” but a police officer by passion.
The proposal reportedly caused considerable dissatisfaction within the Tiroler ÖVP. Landeshauptmann Anton Mattle was also unhappy with the situation, and the party moved to contain the political fallout. Mair had already been viewed as a possible weak link within the government.
Mattle ultimately pulled the plug, and Mair announced her resignation from the Tiroler Landesregierung. Her responsibilities will be redistributed among other departments. She said she had informed Mattle that she would take the opportunity to return to the Tirol police as an Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel) and concentrate once again on her police career.
Mair described the decision as the right step at the right time, saying she had always regarded herself as a politician for a limited period while remaining committed to policing. Her departure brings an abrupt end to her time in Tirol’s state government and marks her return to the profession she originally built her career around.