As of: March 7, 2024, 11:00 a.m
By: Henry Dinger
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Hans Hartmaier (standing, right) shaped the development of the Free Voters' Community Unity like no other.
Here he can be seen at the anniversary celebration with Peter Deischl, the current mayor of Pastetten.
© Henry Dinger
For a long time, the Free Voters' Community Unity was the strongest force in the local council.
The group has shaped the community of Pastetten for 75 years.
Pastetten – The Free Voters’ Association Unity Pastetten (FWE) celebrated its 75th anniversary at a morning pint with white sausage and brass music.
The fact that so many guests came that the Alte Wirt's restaurant was soon bursting at the seams surprised even Peter Deischl, who had officially invited.
As mayor on behalf of the FWE, he is currently at the head of the municipality.
Nevertheless, he is neither a boss nor a board member, because unity is not an association or a party, but an association of independent candidates who submit proposals for local councilors in local elections.
Anyone eligible to vote in the community can take part.
This system works very well, because since 1948 the FWE has been a strong, for long stretches even the strongest and sometimes only force in the local council.
The community is currently represented by seven councilors in addition to the local leader.
At the celebration, Deischl particularly welcomed Hans Hartmaier: “Hans has been the face of unity for decades.
He supported unity, even in difficult times.
He is a role model for me and was also the motivation to get involved in local politics.”
Max Faltlhauser also took the floor.
He sat on the local council from 1990 to 2014.
“Hans was also to blame, he said: 'Max, let us set you up,'” Faltlhauser looked back with a smile, “and then I was there for 24 years.”
The most recent election in 2020 was a complete success for the FWE: “Six men, one woman and the mayor – that won’t happen again anytime soon.
But we hope that it will be achieved again.” Faltlhauser thanked the local councilors who “sacrificed many hours and free time with often heated discussions”.
Andreas Winner, one of today's FWE councilors, caused laughter right at the beginning of his speech when he said: “Peter and Max said that they got into local politics because of Hans.
Now guess who got me into this.” Winner looked back to February 29, 2008, when Unity celebrated its 60th birthday.
Three months earlier, the Erdinger Anzeiger wrote: “The great time of unity is over”;
their influence would dwindle, other parties and groups would push forward and the voting community would lose more and more seats.
“Now the influence of the veteran of Pastetten local politics seems to be crumbling even more,” quoted Winner, because hardly any interested parties came to the assembly meeting in December 2007.
The fact that the tide turned just a few weeks later is probably because the Pastetteners didn't want to simply let go of their unity.
“There was a real jolt through the place,” said Winner.
The election campaign that year was very successful, and he also came to the local council for the first time in 2008.
Karl-Heinz Bauernfeind (left), then mayor of Erding, spoke at the FWE's 60th birthday on February 29, 2008.
To the right of the table is Max Faltlhauser.
© FW
The appeal of unity in pasties is also that everything is open, everyone can come to the assembly meeting, everyone can vote.
You can get involved from every district and regardless of your political orientation.
“This is the most grassroots democratic thing we have.” Former mayor Wilhelm Sandtner said that party politics had no place in the municipality.
One should not be guided by ideological guidelines, but rather decide what is best for the community.
In his speech, Hartmaier pointed out that he had been in local politics for the FWE for over three decades.
Hartmaier said that Bavaria was under American administration in 1946 and that the first local council was elected in 1948 - for six years, as it is today.
“Although there were political parties, there was only unity among us.” As far as he remembers, says Hartmann, Mayor Korbinian Rott was appointed by the Americans and was officially elected in 1948.
He remained in office until 1972.
At that time, the administration was located in the old school building on the ground floor - two offices for the mayor and typist, plus a meeting room.
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In 1972 there was “a small change” when many younger people moved up.
Sandtner became mayor.
There were six councils each from Pastetten and Reithofen.
“But there was never a 6:6 vote,” said Hartmaier.
There was definitely discussion, and that wasn't always easy, "we were still young boys."
The old, established councilors would have sat at the front of the narrow meeting room, the young ones at the back.
“If there was something to discuss or something that was handed out to look at, we had to fight to get it through to us.
But we prevailed,” he said.
It was not until 1978 that new groups and parties were added, first the SPD and in 1984 the CSU.
He and Sandtner quit in 2002 and Cornelia Vogelfanger (CSU) was elected mayor.
As Hartmaier reported, there used to be no agreements before meetings, nor any pressure from factions, “they were always free decisions”.
The long-time second mayor also said that after every meeting – “even when things got hot” – they met at the innkeeper's.
“The whole thing was over again in half an hour.
That is no longer quite the case today.” In 2020, the FWE became the strongest group with seven councils.
“I hope that it continues like this,” said Hartmaier.