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Feldmann at the hearing in the Frankfurt district court on October 18
Photo: POOL / REUTERS
It was a short statement for which Peter Feldmann briefly left his office in the Römer, the town hall of Frankfurt am Main, in the evening.
He thanks the people who have "carried" him in office over the past 10 years, he said.
The result was “not what I wanted”.
But even if he is no longer mayor, he will remain a political person and will continue to be involved in people's social concerns.
The SPD politician was reacting to the result of a vote that a large majority in the city parliament – including his own party – had organized against him.
The city councilors from the CDU, SPD, Greens, FDP and several small factions have long considered it unacceptable.
Criticism of him has grown since the Frankfurt public prosecutor's office brought charges against Feldmann for accepting advantages in office in March of this year and the proceedings were later opened before the Frankfurt Regional Court.
There were also several political missteps such as sexist statements on the flight to a Frankfurt Eintracht game or a statement that showed little empathy about his estranged wife in his corruption proceedings in court.
Feldmann also rejected calls for his own party to resign, which earned him the nickname “Pattex-Peter” in social networks and in the tabloid press.
Quorum of 30 percent
The preliminary final result of the vote sounds clear: around 95 percent of the Frankfurters who took part in the referendum voted for him to be thrown out of Römer, a total of more than 200,000 people.
However, Feldmann could have ended the evening as a confirmed mayor.
Around 95 percent of the Frankfurters who took part in the referendum voted for him to be kicked out of Römer
152,455 votes against him were needed to achieve the quorum of at least 30 percent of those eligible to vote in Hesse.
It was no small hurdle in this city, where many eligible voters from different EU countries live and interest in local politics is rather low.
When Feldmann was confirmed in office in a runoff election in 2018, the total turnout was only slightly above the 30 percent mark.
When he was voted out, it was now more than 40 percent.
When the quorum for the counting of votes was reached, relief spread among Frankfurt's local politicians.
"I'm glad that we now have clarity and that the voters have restored the city's reputation," said Frankfurt SPD leader Mike Josef.
Uwe Becker from the CDU spoke of a "happy day for the city".
Both Becker and Josef are expected to be named candidates for Feldmann's successor by their parties in the next few days.
The Greens want to name a candidate next week.
New election in four months at the latest
Formally, Feldmann, 64, will remain in office until the end of the day when the Frankfurt election committee has officially determined and announced the official final result of the vote.
This should happen next Friday at 1 p.m.
At the latest then the election campaign for his successor should start.
According to Hessian law, a new mayor must be elected within four months.
Probable date is March 5th.
This election could be a difficult undertaking, especially for the SPD.
Your likely top candidate Mike Josef, previously head of planning in Frankfurt, is considered to be serious and honest across all parties, but had nothing to do with the Awo affair.
In addition, Josef has consistently distanced himself from Feldmann in recent months.
Disunited comrades
But the comrades in the city are not in complete agreement when it comes to Feldmann.
Not everyone thought it was right to launch a campaign against their own mayor.
In some local groups and districts away from the Römer, the SPD people grumbled that Feldmann's merits also had to be taken into account.
The election campaign is not made any easier by the fact that the Feldmann trial continues in court
With his unexpected election victory in 2012 against the then Minister of the Interior and current Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU), Feldmann opened up a real power option for the troubled SPD in Frankfurt.
In addition, he has put previously neglected issues such as cheap housing or protection against aircraft noise in the disadvantaged and increasingly noisy districts of the city back on the agenda.
The election campaign is not made any easier by the fact that the Feldmann trial continues in court.
Several days of negotiations are scheduled for the coming weeks, during which further unsavory details about the ties between the welfare association and local politicians in Frankfurt and Wiesbaden are likely to be discussed.
Others are stuck in the Awo swamp too
But that doesn't just apply to Feldmann and the SPD.
Members of other parties have also allowed themselves to be drawn into the Awo swamp.
A former CDU city councilor has been on trial in Wiesbaden since last week, whose daughter is said to have been given a sham job by Awo.
The young woman received almost 2,500 euros a month from the Awo without any recognizable consideration in order to be able to study in peace.
The Frankfurt public prosecutor's office has brought charges against the Wiesbaden social affairs department head Christoph Manjura (SPD) because he is said to have benefited from bogus employment at the Awo during his time as a city councilor.
The Hessian Greens member of the state parliament Taylan Burcu, brother of a former Awo managing director, came under pressure.
He is said to have received over 40,000 euros from a Frankfurt Awo subsidiary under questionable conditions.
Burcu denied the allegations.
The investigations against those primarily responsible on the Awo side, the couple Jürgen and Hannelore Richter, are still not complete.
The Richters led the Awo district associations in Frankfurt and Wiesbaden and partially checked each other.
According to the investigators, for many years they gave themselves and their minions grossly inflated salaries, absurdly high fees and extensive benefits.
Prosecutors are also currently investigating dozens of mini-jobs that are said to have been given to friends, acquaintances and politically useful people at the expense of the charity without expecting anything in return.
Even with Feldmann's deselection, the swamp of this affair has by no means been drained.