Switzerland | New Ombudsman for the City of Zurich

Pierre Heusser is the newly appointed Ombudsman of the City of Zurich. He was elected by the municipal council (local parliament) in January and succeeded Claudia Kaufmann in mid-August, who has retired from office for reasons of age. Pierre Heusser studied law at the University of Zurich, where he also received his doctoral degree. Before taking office, he worked for 20 years as an independent lawyer in a socially oriented law firm in the city of Zurich.

The Ombudsman's Office of the City of Zurich has been established in 1971 and was the first Parliamentary Ombudsman's Office in Switzerland. The Ombudsman's Office is responsible for all questions and concerns concerning an office or the administration in the City of Zurich. All city employees can also contact the Ombudsman's Office in the event of personnel law questions or conflicts at work. In 2019, the Ombudsman's Office handled 577 cases and answered 890 inquiries.

Source: Ombudsstelle der Stadt Zürich