Stefan Sternberg

Stefan Sternberg
Stefan Sternberg in Ludwigslust (2018)
Landrat of Ludwigslust-Parchim
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 October 2018
Preceded byRolf Christiansen
Mayor of Grabow
In office
24 February 2013 – 27 October 2018
Preceded byUlrich Schult
Succeeded byKathleen Bartels
Personal details
Born (1984-04-28) April 28, 1984
Ludwigslust, East Germany
PartySocial Democratic Party of Germany
Websitestefan-sternberg.de

Stefan Sternberg (born 28 April 1984)[1] is a German politician who has served as the Landrat of Ludwigslust-Parchim since 2018.

Early life

Sternberg was born on 28 April 1984 in Ludwigslust and grew up in Grabow, where he spent his childhood and attended the Fritz Reuter Realschule.[1] After school, he completed an apprenticeship.[2]

Political career

Sternberg is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) since 2012.[2] He has been the vice-chairman of the SPD in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since 2018 and was the vice-chairman of the SPD in Ludwigslust-Parchim between 2016 and 2020.[1]

He first started partaking in politics when he was elected as a member of the Grabow city council in 2002 through the SPD, despite not being a member. He then became a member of the district council of the newly formed Ludwigslust-Parchim in 2011.[2]

On 24 February 2013, at the age of 29, he became the mayor of Grabow when Sternberg narrowly won against the independent candidate Matthias Wiedow who went to court over irregularities during the election.[3] During his tenure, Sternberg conceptualized the controversial[4] "Businesspark Eldetal" in the Grabow forest.[5]

Endorsed by the incumbent Landrat of Ludwigslust-Parchim,[6] Rolf Christiansen (SPD), Sternberg was elected as his successor on 27 September 2018 with 60.1% of the vote[7] for a 7-year term.[8] During this tenure, he was faced with the largest wildfire in Germany since the end of World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to his "good crisis management" he was chosen to be on the COVID-19 expert committee of the federal government.[9] Sternberg was reelected in the first round of the Landrat election on 11 May 2025, winning 57.9% of the vote.[10]

In February 2026, it was exposed that Sternberg had used tax payer funds to stay at a five-star hotel in Hamburg while visiting for a local congress in 2023, causing controversy. Starnberg defended the expenses as necessary and noted that they were filed legally.[11][12][13] Sternberg has also been criticized for his choice of official car, choosing an expensive BMW hybrid over a more moderately priced electric.[14][15] Due to these controversies, he has been called "the luxury-Landrat" by some outlets.[16][17]

Personal life

Sternberg is married and has two children.[1] He continues to live in Grabow.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Unser Landrat". SPD Ludwigslust-Parchim (in German). Archived from the original on 2025-05-04. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  2. ^ a b c "Stefan Sternberg, Landratskandidat für Ludwigslust-Parchim". stefan-sternberg.de. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  3. ^ "Gericht verhandelt über Streit um Bürgermeisterwahl in Grabow - WELT". DIE WELT (in German). Archived from the original on 2016-01-15. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  4. ^ Pohle, Mayk (2024-08-10). "Geplantes Gewerbegebiet an der A14 bei Grabow bleibt Streitfall". www.nordkurier.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2024-09-14. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
  5. ^ Heide, Katharina von der (2023-02-07). "Widerspruch gegen Waldrodung läuft". KATAPULT MV (in German). Archived from the original on 2025-01-12. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  6. ^ Ostsee-Zeitung (2018-01-03). "Grabower soll neuer Landrat von Ludwigslust-Parchim werden". www.ostsee-zeitung.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2025-05-24. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  7. ^ Ludwigslust-Parchim, Landkreis (2018-09-27). "Stefan Sternberg zum Landrat des Landkreises Ludwigslust-Parchim ernannt". Landkreis Ludwigslust-Parchim (in German). Archived from the original on 2018-10-20. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  8. ^ Ludwigslust-Parchim, Landkreis. "Der Verwaltungsvorstand". Landkreis Ludwigslust-Parchim (in German). Archived from the original on 2025-04-09. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  9. ^ NDR. "Landratswahl in MV: SPD-Amtsinhaber kandidiert für Ludwigslust-Parchim". www.ndr.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2025-05-14. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  10. ^ NDR. "Landratswahl Ludwigslust-Parchim: Der alte Landrat ist auch der neue - Sternberg gewinnt souverän". www.ndr.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2025-05-13. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  11. ^ Ludmann, Stefan. ""Handfester Skandal": Dienstreise von Landrat in Luxus-Hotel wird Fall für Landespolitik". ndr.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  12. ^ Ludmann, Stefan. "Dienstreise ins Luxushotel abgerechnet: Landrat hält Kosten für angemessen". ndr.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  13. ^ Roll, Udo (2026-03-20). "2200 Euro für Luxus-Hotel: „Landrat konnte Kosten nachvollziehbar erklären"". www.nordkurier.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  14. ^ "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Landrat will kein Elektroauto als Dienstwagen – mit „absurder Ausrede" als Begründung - WELT". DIE WELT (in German). Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  15. ^ Nordmagazin: Kriegsgefahr: Warum Landrat Sternberg kein E-Auto will - hier anschauen (in German). Retrieved 2026-03-21 – via www.ardmediathek.de.
  16. ^ Reibe, Pauline (2026-02-11). "126.500 Euro: Luxus-Landrat hat auch ein dickes Dienstwagen-Problem". MOPO (in German). Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  17. ^ Fleischhauer, Jan; Blüchel, Carolin (2026-02-15). "Der Luxus-Landrat der SPD hat wieder zugeschlagen". www.focus.de. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  18. ^ "Stefan Sternberg". Die Bundesregierung informiert | Startseite (in German). Retrieved 2025-05-24.
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