Frankfurt's Mayor Peter Feldmann (SPD) has had to put up with unpleasant questions for days. The Hessischer Rundfunk (HR) recently reported that his wife, as head of a day care center, should have received a significantly higher salary than other employees in a comparable position within a short time. In addition, there was a company car.
Since then, the question is whether the increase in salary was not too fast - and in what ways the SPD politician was possibly involved. The Kita is run by the Arbeiterwohlfahrt (Awo). Feldmann himself was a member of the association for a long time.
The parties in the Frankfurt city parliament have been calling for clarification ever since. Feldmann was silent and silent until now.
The wife is silent
Compared to the "Bild" newspaper Feldmann now declared not to have been involved in the contract. He had "no influence on the drafting and payment," he said.
The 61-year-old also stressed that his wife did not get the job out of courtesy. "She has prevailed in a selection process against others - and right neat." And: "Salaries are usually decided by the employer."
According to the mayor, his wife is underestimated: "Some pretend that she has become the daycare manager without any work experience, which is wrong." She has worked in this field for more than ten years, completed vocational training and completed a double degree course. Only then did it give the place. His wife Zübeyde Feldmann has not commented on the allegations so far.
The documents leaked to HR indicate that Feldmann's wife, who was still his partner at the time, soon advanced to a salary level that would normally only be reached after 17 years. The 32-year-old now received 4500 euros gross a month, about 1000 euros more than educators in a comparable position. In addition, she was allowed to use a company car.
Awo wants to ensure transparency
Observers rate the quick salary jump as a violation of the betterment, as the HR reported. Thus, non-profit organizations such as the Awo are prohibited from paying their employees more than the civil service. The Awo rejected the allegations. It had been granted "neither benefits nor privileges". The company car served to fulfill its tasks.
Feldmann also worked for Arbeiterwohlfahrt until his election in 2012. Most recently, he held a staff position for occupancy management in retirement homes.
In Frankfurt, the Awo made recently headlines, as the prosecutor's investigation against some responsible of the Kresiverbandes investigations began: settlements for two refugee camps, which operated the Awo temporarily, should be questionable. Investigators now go to the question of whether excessive costs were settled with the city.
In response to the case, the Awo had announced a "transparency offensive" on Monday, reported the "FAZ". Accordingly, from January 2020, an external compliance officer should be employed, to which employees should turn in the future in the case of actual or supposed misconduct.