of during October, normally the wettest month with an average 14 days with rainfall, and an average of during February, normally the driest month with an average of eight days of precipitation, closely followed by April. Politics and government Henning G. Jensen, a Social Democrat, was the long-serving Mayor of Aalborg from 1998 until 2013. He was succeeded by Thomas Kastrup-Larsen, also a Social Democrat, who was elected to the City Council in 1998. The civic government in Aalborg consists of seven departments: the Mayor's Department (responsible for the titular position, the four Citizen Service Centres in Aalborg, the Financial Services division, the Commercial Services division, the General Services division, and the Fire and Rescue Centre); the Technical and Environmental Department (responsible for urban planning, transportation oversight, the Parks and Nature division, and the Environmental Division); the Department of Family and Employment (responsible for Children and Family services, social services, and the city's "Job Centre"); the Department of Care of the Elderly and Disabled (responsible for social benefits, senior citizen care, and disabled citizen care); the Department of Education and Cultural Affairs (responsible for the municipal schools, the public libraries, the Cultural Affairs division, and the city archives); the Health and Sustainable Development Department (responsible for public health, the Occupational Health and Safety Division, the Public Transportation division, and the Sustainable Development division); and the Utilities Department (responsible for gas, heating, water, sewage, and refuse collection). Aalborg City Council consists of 31 members, including a mayor. As of September 2013, 11 of the council seats are held by the Social Democratic Party, nine by Venstre, three by the Socialist People's Party, two by the Danish People's Party, and two by the Conservative People's Party, while three members are professed independents. The council is mandated to hold a minimum of two meetings per month, with meetings of a public forum format. Demographics Aalborg was the largest town in Jutland until it was surpassed by Aarhus in the mid-19th century. In 1672, it had 4,181 inhabitants, growing slowly during the 18th century, with 4,425 in 1769, 4,866 in 1787 and 5,579 by 1801. By 1845, there were 7,477 inhabitants, increasing to 10,069 by 1860. Dramatic growth began in the late 19th century, with an increase from 14,152 in 1880 to 31,457 in 1901. By 1930, the population had grown to 59,091, although the figure was boosted by the merging of Nørre Tranders,