Leen Verbeek Politician
Leendert (Leen) Verbeek (born March 5, 1954, in Leiderdorp) is a Dutch politician and former civil servant and social worker. He is a member of the Labour Party (Partij van de Arbeid). He has served as mayor of Purmerend from April 2003 till November 2008. On November 1, 2008, he became Queen's Commissioner of the province of Flevoland.Verbeek spent his early years in Eindhoven. After the mulo (current-day vmbo) and a year of high school in the USA, he attended the Academy for Educational Labour in Baarn. He then started to work as a youth worker in Leiden.Ten years later Verbeek started his political career through political institutions, ending up as an alderman in Houten (1989-1996). He was appointed mayor of Purmerend. In between he was director of a self-created company.On December 18, 2007, it was announced that Verbeek was a candidate for mayor of Eindhoven along with Rob van Gijzel. A referendum was held on January 23, 2008, in which Verbeek scored 33% of the votes, but because the required number of voters was not met, the referendum was nullified and the decision was made in-house, which resulted in Rob van Gijzel being appointed mayor of Eindhoven. Verbeek was replaced by Fons Hertog as mayor of Purmerend in November 2008, as Verbeek was appointed the Queen's Commissioner for the province of Flevoland.
