frankfurt’s Lord Mayor Peter Feldmann (SPD) has just announced in a personal statement that he intends to end his term of office at the end of January 2023. In doing so, “I want to spare the city of Frankfurt an agonizing and expensive vote-out procedure,” said the mayor. He will thus bring his work to a proper conclusion after ten years in office. “I will hand over an orderly house.”
The 63-year-old Social Democrat took office on July 1, 2012. In the spring of 2018 he was confirmed in office by the Frankfurters. In the spring of 2018, investigations by the public prosecutor against him in connection with the AWO affair became known. Feldmann’s wife is said to have received a salary in excess of the collective agreement as head of an Awo day-care center “without any objective reason”, as it was said. In addition, the Arbeiterwohlfahrt (Awo) supported Feldmann in the 2018 election campaign by raising donations.
Inappropriate spell and foreign cup
At the end of May of this year, the Frankfurt Regional Court allowed charges to be brought on suspicion of corruption. The Frankfurt mayor will have to answer to the court in the next few months. Feldman denies the allegations. Despite louder and louder calls for his resignation, he remained undeterred and remained in office, but the pressure was increasing lately.
Most recently, the OB had triggered several shaking of the head. A video with a sexist saying by Feldmann appeared. In addition, the mayor caused irritation at the celebration of Eintracht Frankfurt’s European Cup victory in the Römer, among other things, when he took the trophy out of the hand of Eintracht captain Sebastian Rode and coach Oliver Glasner in order to advance towards the Kaisersaal, which many considered selfish and rated complacently.
Feldmann himself regretted his appearance at the party, and he also apologized for his saying on the plane. Meanwhile, the Bundesliga club let Feldmann know that the mayor was no longer welcome in the stadium.
The citizens should have voted him out
Since Feldmann is directly elected, the citizens should have voted him out of office if he did not give up office voluntarily. According to the Hessian Municipal Code, this would be the case if there was a majority of the valid votes for it. This majority would be at least 30 percent of those entitled to vote. The hurdle is generally considered to be high, especially in large cities with usually very low voter turnout in municipal elections.
The cost of voting out is estimated at 1.5 million euros. Feldmann, whose term of office normally does not end until 2024, not only saves the citizens a lot of organizational effort with a voluntary resignation, but also high costs.