{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.alderman-q20748682","code":"thing-q20748682","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q20748682/","name":"alderman","alternateNames":["municipal executive of Rijssen-Holten","municipal executive of Hardenberg","municipal executive of Tytsjerksteradiel","municipal executive of Vijfheerenlanden","municipal executive of Wytmarsum","municipal executive of Wâldsein","municipal executive of 's-Hertogenbosch","municipal executive of Smellingerlân","municipal executive of Opsterlân","municipal executive of Oentsjerk","municipal executive of Nijlân","municipal executive of Menaam"],"kind":"thing","status":"research-draft","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Society, people and institutions","entryKind":"thing","plane":"SOC","domain":["SOC.PER"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A member of a municipal executive or council, in the Dutch sense of the wethouder, a member of the college of mayor and aldermen elected by the municipal council to hold a portfolio such as finance, housing or social affairs in municipalities such as Rijssen-Holten, Hardenberg, Tytsjerksteradiel and Vijfheerenlanden, and in other countries a senior council member, as in historical English boroughs, the aldermen of Chicago and other US cities, and the Belgian schepen; the office s powers vary from executive government to legislative membership.","purpose":"Let an agent explain the office of alderman in its Dutch executive sense and its other national forms, relay election, powers and portfolios from local government sources, describe historical and comparative variants, and distinguish aldermen from mayors, councillors and civil servants.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Executive portfolio in the Dutch model","Elected by the council","National variation","Historical roots"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What an alderman is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition and variants.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is an alderman, and how do the Dutch wethouder, Belgian schepen and US and historical English aldermen differ?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about the Dutch executive office, another national form or a specific municipality?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"dutch","name":"Dutch","description":"The Dutch model.","findings":[{"id":"dutch-finding","name":"Dutch","description":"Dutch.","questions":[{"text":"How are wethouders elected, what portfolios do they hold, and how does the college of mayor and aldermen govern?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific municipality?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"practice","name":"Practice","description":"Practice.","layers":[{"id":"powers","name":"Powers","description":"Powers and accountability.","findings":[{"id":"powers-finding","name":"Powers","description":"Powers.","questions":[{"text":"What powers do aldermen hold, and how are they accountable to councils and residents?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"careers","name":"Careers","description":"Careers.","findings":[{"id":"careers-finding","name":"Careers","description":"Careers.","questions":[{"text":"How do people become aldermen, and what are the roles of parties and coalitions?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"compare","name":"Compare","description":"Comparison.","layers":[{"id":"countries","name":"Countries","description":"Other countries.","findings":[{"id":"countries-finding","name":"Countries","description":"Countries.","questions":[{"text":"How do aldermen in Belgium, the United States, Canada and Australia differ from the Dutch model?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific country s office?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How did the office develop from Anglo-Saxon ealdormen and medieval boroughs?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the history of local government?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Context.","layers":[{"id":"reform","name":"Reform","description":"Reforms.","findings":[{"id":"reform-finding","name":"Reform","description":"Reform.","questions":[{"text":"What reforms have changed the office, such as Dutch dualisation in 2002 or abolition in English councils, with positions attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation neutral?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"data","name":"Data","description":"Data.","findings":[{"id":"data-finding","name":"Data","description":"Data.","questions":[{"text":"Where are lists of current aldermen and executives maintained?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits municipal government?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain the role of an alderman in the Dutch college of mayor and aldermen and in other systems.","Report current office holders and portfolios from official municipal sources."],"mustNot":["Present outdated office holder lists as current.","Confuse executive aldermen with legislative council members.","Attribute decisions or statements to an alderman without a source.","Publish an alderman's private life beyond their public role."],"requiresHuman":["Contacting an alderman or their office on a user's behalf."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Aldermen hold public power and should be accountable, but they keep private lives.","Accurate information on who decides what helps citizens hold local government to account."],"affectedParties":["Office holders","Residents of the municipality"]},"owners":{"steward":"The municipality, whose council appoints and dismisses aldermen.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["Municipal records and official gazettes"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q4657217","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"municipal executive","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"college of mayor and aldermen","type":"related","note":"in the Netherlands"},{"target":"municipal council","type":"related","note":"in the Dutch system"},{"target":"mayor","type":"related","note":"who chairs the executive"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.alderman-q20748682","Wikidata: Q20748682 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20748682)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["Dutch municipalities: about 340 count","wethouders per municipality: 2 to 9 count - by population","Chicago City Council aldermen: 50 count"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Member of a municipal executive or senior council","Dutch wethouders of Rijssen-Holten, Hardenberg, Tytsjerksteradiel, Vijfheerenlanden and other municipalities; Belgian schepenen; US and historical English aldermen","Mayors chair the executive; councillors sit in the elected council; civil servants administer","Not a visible object; a local officeholder."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain the office and variants","relay election and powers","describe portfolios","distinguish related offices"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Confusing executive aldermen with legislative council members","Stale office holder lists","Registry aliases naming specific municipalities executives"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Dutch Municipalities Act on the college of mayor and aldermen","Belgian municipal decrees","City charters and municipal codes in the US and Commonwealth"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Local executive or council leadership.","Dutch wethouders in the college of mayor and aldermen","Belgian schepenen","aldermen of US city councils such as Chicago","historical aldermen of English and Irish boroughs","aldermen in Canada, Australia and other Commonwealth countries","municipal executives of specific municipalities as recorded in the registry"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q20748682: alderman","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20748682","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia (de): Wethouder","url":"https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wethouder","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should wethouder, schepen and US alderman be separate primary entries?","How should local government sources be linked?","The registry entry has merged aliases naming municipal executives of specific Dutch municipalities; should they be split off?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q20748682/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q20748682/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T06:32:39Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"interaction.properties":"Plane SOC: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}