Gerard van den Anker

Gerard P. van den Anker (born 18 March 1972) is a Dutch politician, serving as a member of the House of Representatives since January 2021. He is a member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).

In this Dutch name, the surname is Van den Anker, not Anker.
Gerard van den Anker
Member of the House of Representatives
Assumed office
12 January 2021
Preceded byMichel Rog
Alderman in Maasdriel
In office
12 May 2014[1] – 9 May 2018[2]
In office
2002–2010
Member of the Maasdriel municipal council
In office
11 March 2010[3] – 12 May 2014[1]
Succeeded byLeo van Doremaele
In office
4 January 1999[4] – 2002
Personal details
Born
G.P. van den Anker

(1972-03-18) 18 March 1972
Hedel, Netherlands
Political partyChristian Democratic Appeal
OccupationFruit farmer

A fruit grower, Van den Anker became involved in local politics in Maasdriel in 1999, when he was elected to its municipal council. He later also served as alderman and deputy mayor until he retired from Maasdriel politics in 2018. Van den Anker subsequently became chair of the Nederlandse Fruittelers Organisatie (Dutch fruit growers association) and a member of the Rivierenland water board.

Early life and career

He was born in 1972 in the Gelderland village Hedel as the son of Cor van den Anker, who served as an alderman in that village.[5][6] Van den Anker went to an agrarian school in Tiel to become a fruit grower, and he has a fruit farm together with his father and uncle in Hedel, where they mainly grow Conference pears.[7] During his political career, he would keep working there.[8]

Local politics

When a few municipalities were about to merge to form Maasdriel in 1999, a special election was held to determine its nineteen municipal councilors. Van den Anker appeared as the fourteenth candidate on the CDA's party list, and was elected due to his over 300 preferential votes.[9] He was installed in January 1999. He became a member of the social affairs, education, and recreation committee.[10] Van den Anker was appointed part-time alderman of social affairs after the 2002 election and simultaneously left the municipal council. When alderman Kees Leenders departed his position in July 2005, Van den Anker started working full-time as alderman, became deputy mayor, and added spatial planning and housing to his portfolio. Previously, he also worked at a marketing and secondment agency.[11] He remained alderman and deputy mayor after the 2006 election, during which he was his party's lijsttrekker.[5][12]

Van den Anker became chairman of the housing corporation De Goede Woning - Neerijnen next to his job as alderman in 2008.[13] In his municipality, he unsuccessfully proposed widening the A2 motorway to four lanes in both directions, although the council supported the idea.[14] Van den Anker was also involved in plans to redevelop Kerkdriel's town center.[15] After the 2010 election in Maasdriel, the CDA did not become part of the municipal executive.[16] Van den Anker returned to the municipal council, as he was again elected as his party's lijsttrekker.[17] He also ran for member of the States of Gelderland in 2011, appearing fifteenth on the party list, but did not manage to win a seat.[18]

Van den Anker was once again re-elected as CDA's lijsttrekker in 2014 and returned as alderman of spatial planning and deputy mayor in the new municipal executive.[19][20][21] In 2016, he left De Goede Woning - Neerijnen, and he announced in 2017 that he would not run for re-election the following year.[22][23] When he left as alderman in May 2018, Van den Anker received the first Maasdriel honorary medal for his years in local politics. He became the chair of the Nederlandse Fruittelers Organisatie (Dutch fruit growers association) in June 2018.[24] He also participated in the 2019 water board election in Rivierenland as the second candidate on CDA's party list, thus becoming a member of the board.[25]

House of Representatives (2021–present)

He ran for member of parliament (MP) in the 2017 general election, but was not elected. He was 25th on the CDA's party list and received 2,815 preferential votes.[26] Van den Anker became a member of the House of Representatives in January 2021, when MP Michel Rog left the House to focus on his new job as alderman in Haarlem.[27] The 24th candidate on the CDA's party list in 2017, Stijn Steenbakkers, had declined to succeed him.[28] Due to his appointment, Van den Anker temporarily left his position at the Dutch fruit growers association, but he remained a member of the water board.[27] In the House, he is on the Committee for Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality.[6]

Personal life

Van den Anker lives in Hedel, has a girlfriend called Kitty, and has a son.[6][7]

References
  1. Steenbekkers, Annemiek (13 May 2014). "Coalitie houdt alle opties open" [Coalition keeps options on the table]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch).
  2. Van Veldhuizen, Anouck (4 May 2018). "Even voorstellen: de nieuwe wethouders van Maasdriel" [A small introduction: the new aldermen of Maasdriel]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  3. Buijs, Gert-Jan; Kers, Bertjan (12 March 2010). "Installatie nieuwe gemeenteraden" [Installation new municipal councils]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch).
  4. "Uiterwaardigheden" [Riparian curiosities]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). 9 January 1999.
  5. "Uiterwaardigheden: Bessenprimeur voor goede doel" [Riparian curiosities: first berries for charity]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). 13 May 2006.
  6. "Biografie, onderwijs en loopbaan van Gerard van den Anker" [Biography, education, and career of Gerard van den Anker]. Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (in Dutch). Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  7. Van den Anker, Gerard. "Fruitteler en bestuurder kandidaat NFO-voorzitterschap: 'Ik wil zichtbaar, herkenbaar en aanspreekbaar zijn'" [Fruit grower and candidate NFO chairman: 'I want to be visible, recognizable, and approachable'] (PDF). Fruitteelt (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Herman Bus and Marijke van Ossenbruggen – via Nederlandse Fruittelers Organisatie.
  8. Van den Anker, Gerard (12 March 2019). "NFO-voorzitter Van den Anker: 'Fruittelers te bescheiden'" [NFO chair Van den Anker: 'Fruit growers are too modest']. Nieuwe Oogst (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Haijo Dodde. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  9. Van Driel, Marieta (19 November 1998). "Voorkeurstem zorgt voor verrassing raad Maasdriel" [Preferential votes cause surprise in Maasdriel council]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch).
  10. "Zaltbommel en Maasdriel benoemen commissies" [Zaltbommel and Maasdriel appoint committee members]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). 8 January 1999.
  11. "CDA kiest kroonprins Van den Anker" [CDA chooses crown prince Van den Anker]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). 25 June 2005.
  12. Cattel, Bert (9 March 2006). "Analyse: CDA Maasdriel kan partners uitzoeken" [Analysis: CDA Maasdriel could choose partners]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch).
  13. "Van den Anker voorzitter van Goede Woning" [Van den Anker chair Goede Woning]. De Gelderlander (in Dutch). 18 July 2008. p. B04.
  14. "Rijkswaterstaat vindt 4 rijbanen op A2 onnodig" [Rijkswaterstaat thinks four lanes are unnecessary for the A2 motorway]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). 7 April 2009.
  15. Buijs, Gert-Jan (30 May 2008). "Kerkdriel mag trots zijn op winkelhart" [Kerkdriel can be proud of its shopping center]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). p. B02.
  16. Steenbekkers, Annemiek (25 June 2010). "Coalitieakkoord VVD, SSM, PvdA" [Coalition agreement VVD, SSM, PvdA]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch).
  17. Buijs, Gert-Jan (6 March 2010). "Nummers 1 ook dé stemmentrekkers" [Numbers 1 also attract most votes]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch).
  18. "Kandidaat-Statenleden uit Rivierenland" [Candidates for states-provincial member from Rivierenland]. De Gelderlander (in Dutch). 2 March 2011.
  19. Steenbekkers, Annemiek (24 March 2014). "Duidelijke taal van kiezer" [Clear language from voters]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch).
  20. "Onderscheiding Johan Toonen" [Award Johan Toonen]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). 19 May 2014.
  21. Groeneveld, Brigit (8 March 2018). "Analyse: Maasdrielse coalitie had makkie aan bestuursakkoord" [Analysis: Maasdriel coalition had easy executive agreement]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  22. "G.P. (Gerard) van den Anker". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Parlementair Documentatie Centrum. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  23. "Maasdrielse wethouder van den Anker stopt in 2018" [Maasdriel alderman Van den Anker stops in 2018]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). 29 July 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  24. Groeneveld, Brigit (9 May 2018). "Gerard van den Anker krijgt eerste gouden erepenning van Maasdriel" [Gerard van den Anker receives first gold honorary medal of Maasdriel]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  25. Kers, Bertjan (19 March 2019). "Genoeg streekgenoten in de race voor een zetel in Provinciale Staten van Gelderland" [Enough people from the area in the race for a States of Gelderland seat]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  26. "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 2017 (getekend exemplaar)" [Results House of Representatives election 2017 (signed copy)] (PDF). Kiesraad (in Dutch). 21 March 2017. pp. 78–112. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  27. Groeneveld, Brigit (12 January 2021). "Gerard van den Anker uit Hedel beëdigd als lid van de Tweede Kamer" [Gerard van den Anker from Hedel sworn in as member of the House of Representatives]. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  28. Wijdeven, Mark (3 December 2020). "Eindhovense CDA-wethouder Steenbakkers zei nee tegen Kamerzetel" [Eindhoven CDA alderman Steenbakkers declines seat in the House]. ED (in Dutch). Retrieved 16 January 2021.
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