Hello everyone.

On 20 September you went to the polls. Now that a few weeks have passed, I want to say something that really matters to me: Thank you.

4,848 votes of confidence

4,848 people in Steglitz-Ost and Südende gave me their constituency vote in the Berlin state election. That put me in second place in the constituency. It wasn’t enough to win the seat, and yes, I would have liked a different result.

But for me this number is not a defeat. Behind it are 4,848 deliberate decisions, countless conversations and a clear signal: Green politics for our neighbourhood has support here.

Thank you to everyone who took part

A campaign is never a one-man show. Thank you to everyone who knocked on doors with me, put up posters, handed out flyers and stood at the info stall in all weathers. Thank you to my local Greens and to friends and family, who have been very patient with me over the past months.

And thank you to everyone who told me their stories, including those who voted for someone else in the end. You showed me where everyday life gets stuck: at the junction, at school, with the tenancy agreement, in the park. That is exactly what I’m taking with me.

What I’m taking with me

The conversations of the past months confirmed what matters in our constituency:

• Safe streets. The junction of Steglitzer Damm and Bismarckstraße must no longer count as one of the most dangerous in the city. Whether you walk, cycle or use a walker, you have to arrive safely.

• Strong schools and families. School social work must not have to be fought for all over again every year.

• Affordable housing. Tenant protection and more social housing instead of profit at any price.

• More green. More trees, more shade, less sealed ground, from the Stadtpark to Markusplatz.

• Spaces for young people. Children and young people need places where they can simply be themselves.

From the district assembly: I’m sticking with it

I won’t be entering the state parliament. But I’m not going to stop. I have been a district councillor in Steglitz-Zehlendorf since 2022, and from the district assembly I will keep working with all my energy for our borough and our constituency.

In concrete terms, that means:

• I’m bringing the campaign issues into the district assembly with motions and questions, above all road safety at junctions and around schools.

• In the borough budget, I’m fighting to make sure social infrastructure isn’t the first thing to be cut.

• I stand alongside local initiatives such as the Markusplatz citizens’ initiative and other groups.

• I work closely with our Green members of the state parliament so that concerns from Steglitz reach the state parliament too.

Local politics is close to people. This is where it is decided where a zebra crossing goes, which square gets greened and whether a youth club stays open. It’s politics you feel right on your doorstep.

Straight talk, as always

Local politics isn’t always easy. Sadly, I know hostility and hate from my own experience. That makes the many encounters of the past months mean all the more to me, because they showed the opposite: Steglitz is open, supportive and argumentative in the best sense.

I’m sticking to it: talking straight and taking responsibility, especially when it gets uncomfortable.

Let’s stay in touch

My door stays open. If something in the neighbourhood is bothering you, whether it’s a dangerous corner, a broken playground or an idea for your street, write to me. Use the contact form here on the site or find me on Instagram at @daniel3liasson.

Once again: thank you for 4,848 votes. Thank you for your trust. See you in the neighbourhood.

Yours, Daniel