Dijkgraaf (official)

Chair of a Dutch water board
The first of a series of gablestones on a Gemeenlandshuis in Halfweg built in 1645; each stone represents the heraldic shield of the dike-reeve and his men, known as the heemraden, or in this case, the high or hoogheemraden

A dijkgraaf (lit. 'dike-warden, dike-reeve'), sometimes called a watergraaf, is the chair of a Dutch water board. The dijkgraaf is the equivalent of a mayor in local government and a King's Commissioner in provincial government, chairing both the legislative and executive council, while having both ceremonial and representational roles as well as their own portfolios. The term goes back to pre-medieval days.

Literally the term means "Dike count", like other titles ending in -graaf (equivalent to English: -grave and German: -graf) of feudal origin, but remained a functional official. The government bodies in the Netherlands today in order of rank are:

  1. National
  2. Provincial
  3. Municipal
  4. Water boards.[citation needed]

In medieval times and earlier however, the water boards were the same as municipal, and since it was a country of duchies, the Water board (Waterschap) was in governmental terms the equivalent of a city (Stad), and thus also the highest form of government.

References

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ProvinceMunicipalitySpecial municipality
  • Provincial executive (Gedeputeerde Staten)
    • King's commissioner (commissaris van de Koning)
    • Provincial deputies (gedeputeerden)
  • Provincial council (Provinciale Staten)
  • Municipal executive (college van burgemeester en wethouders)
    • Mayor (burgemeester)
    • Aldermen (wethouders)
  • Municipal council (gemeenteraad)
  • Executive council (bestuurscollege)
  • Island council (eilandsraad)
Other public bodies
Borough
Safety region
Water board
Dike-reeve
Executives
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