Jagsch led the meeting first himself, at which he should be voted out. He wanted to say a few introductory words beforehand, he told the "dear local advisory councils" and "defended guests" right at the beginning. After his election, he was a "hysteria and hunt" exposed. Then he argued with the Altenstädter mayor Norbert Syguda (SPD) a few minutes over whether his resignation must take place in open or secret ballot. In the end, seven out of the eight local advisory councils raised their hand against Jagsch, who himself voted to remain in office.
Jagsch had been elected by the local council members in early September as the political representative of the settlement, unanimous. The leisure local politicians of the CDU, SPD and FDP explained afterwards, Jagsch was the only one who had run out of the body for the office. Moreover, unlike most of the others in the local council he could deal with a computer and send emails, said one of the local advisory councils. Jagsch's predecessor, an FDP man, had resigned because he was convinced of the "political ineffectiveness of the panel".
As a rule, Hessian local councils usually have almost no political power of their own. They can make suggestions or refer citizens' tips to the city administration, but the binding decisions on the initiatives are then made by the higher-level local council or the mayor of Altenstadt.
Police guard local council meeting
The fact that they have made a serious mistake with the choice of Jagsch dawned the local council members at the latest, as a few days after the election politicians and secretaries-general of their parties at the federal level expressed their horror. Even mayor Syguda urged to deselect Jagsch at the next possible meeting after the Hessian autumn holidays again. The motion was then signed by all the local council members who had previously elected Jagsch.
This volte has now given at least a significant public interest to the panel, which is usually well below the public perception threshold. About 100 spectators had come to the community house of the settlement, which had been seated as a precaution with 250 seats. At the entrance, the audience first had to undergo detailed personal checks. The community had hired a security service whose staff looked in all their bags and scanned the visitors for weapons. The Wetterau police were also posted with several officers in front of the community center.
Death threat against NPD local chief
Although Jagsch had promised the police that the NPD would refrain from demonstrations, the law enforcement agencies were not at all sure that other right-wing extremists would be attracted by the decision to withdraw. Also possibly violent clashes with counter-demonstrators were not excluded. Jagsch himself had published a photo with a murder threat against him before the meeting: "Nazisau kill Jagsch," someone had smeared on his garage.
In the end, it was then but reasonably quiet. Some Jagsch sympathizers in the hall grumbled during the meeting about the deselection. "Punch and Judy Show," a young man in the fourth row said in a low voice. A woman in a yellow pullover lamented that "democracy is being planed out". Jagsch was since 2006 a member of the local council and legally elected. The change of opinion of the local councils was evidently only due to pressure on the part of volunteers.
"Voted is voted," said a gray-haired woman as she waited at the entrance gate before the session began. It does not matter to which party the mayor belongs, the main thing he cares about the concerns of the citizens. A pensioner standing by shook his head. "An NPD man and avowed neo-Nazi, that's not possible at all," he said. The crack goes right through the place, he said.
The successor to Jagsch was Christian Democrat Tatjana Cyrulnikov. The 22-year-old student and district chairman of the Junge Union in the Hessian Wetterau received seven votes. She also belonged to the Waldsiedlungs Ortsbeirat before, but could present herself as an unencumbered candidate: At the meeting in September, in which Jagsch had been elected, she had been excused.