Peter Feldmann is under criticism: the mayor of Frankfurt made a few gaffes and is being investigated. Nevertheless, the SPD politician does not want to resign. Now his own party could overthrow him.
When Peter Feldmann appeared in front of the assembled press at 11.30 a.m. in Frankfurt’s Römer, most probably expected a resignation. The mayor of the Main metropolis had made too many missteps recently, and political support had dwindled too much – even within his own party. And indeed, the SPD politician began his statement very meekly: “I’ve made mistakes and I’m rightly criticized,” he admitted.
But there was no talk of resignation. The 63-year-old wants to stay on as mayor. He only wanted to continue working “differently” than before, Feldmann explained. Until the end of the summer break, he intends to forego representative appointments and instead focus more on social issues such as childcare and rent caps in the city. Nevertheless, the impression remains: Feldmann sticks to his post with all his might.
Peter Feldmann after the Eintracht triumph: sexist and narcissistic
Most recently, the mayor had sidelined himself after Frankfurt Eintracht’s Europa League triumph. First he boldly took the trophy out of the hands of Eintracht captain Sebastian Rode at the celebrations, then a video appeared on the internet in which Feldmann made sexist comments about the flight attendants via the on-board microphone on the return flight from the final in Seville. These would have put him “hormonally incapacitated”. While the first incident angered Eintracht fans in particular, the macho sayings caused a bigger outcry.
Feldmann quickly apologized for both failures, and the social democrat also backed down again in his press statement: Feldmann said he was “shocked himself” when he saw the video from the plane and asked “from the bottom of my heart for an apology “. At the celebration of the Europa League title, “his horses went through”: “I really wanted to touch the trophy.”
Investigations into allegations of corruption
However, Feldmann cannot count on forbearance. Even before the most recent gaffes, the mayor of Frankfurt was on the brink. Allegations of corruption have been around for a long time: It’s about Feldmann’s wife’s job as head of an Awo daycare center, where she is supposed to receive a salary that exceeds the collective agreement without justification. In addition, Feldmann is said to have received donations from Awo during the 2018 election campaign, for which in return he wanted to “benevolently consider” the interests of workers’ welfare. At least that’s how the public prosecutor’s office in Frankfurt sees it. Feldmann denied the allegations again: “I’m not corrupt.”
Feldmann could be voted out
Feldmann has long since lost all political support in the Main metropolis. Even his own party, the SPD, recently asked the mayor to resign. This requires the dignity of the office, the reputation of the city and the ability of the magistrate to act, said the deputy chairman of the Frankfurt Social Democrats, Kolja Müller. Eintracht board spokesman Axel Hellmann has already announced that Feldmann is “no longer welcome” in the stadium – a de facto stadium ban.
Feldmann has been mayor of Frankfurt since 2012 and was re-elected in 2018. Due to the allegations of corruption, he had already announced that he did not want to compete again in 2024. However, it seems unlikely that Feldmann will remain in his post in Römer for so long – even if he himself does not want to vacate his office just yet. The coalition partners FDP and Greens have already announced a voting procedure, and the SPD also reserves the right to take this step in order to depose its own mayor.
