Samenvatting

Dutch mayors are confronted with various crises differing from a deadly incident with a monster truck to societal unrest due to convicted sex offenders returning to local society. This article presents the results of a research about the role of the mayor in so-called ‘youth crises’. The ‘big decentralization operation’ of January 1, 2015 resulted in new tasks and responsibilities for local governments regarding youth care. This research focuses on the implications of this decentralization for the leadership style of the mayor when a youth related crisis causes societal unrest. The way in which mayors deal with such a crisis was studied by means of in-depth interviews and a vignette study before and after the decentralization. This research concludes that the leadership style of the mayor did not change after the decentralization. Mayors consistently show two dominant leadership styles when managing a youth crisis: ‘First Civilian’ and ‘Peer Governor.’ As a ‘First Civilian’ the mayor’s crisis management actions focuses primarily on the community and the affected family. The style ‘Peer Governor’ is all about gathering relevant information and consultation with various partners, such as youth care organizations and aldermen. More interestingly, the results show that decentralization of youth care redefines the relationship between the local alderman responsible for youth care and the mayor as a crisis manager safeguarding local order and public safety. This relationship is currently under construction and could grow either competitive or fruitful.