The Frankfurt SPD is going through difficult times.

Because of the suspicion of accepting an advantage, the public prosecutor's office has brought charges against the mayor and SPD party member Peter Feldmann: He is said to have used his influence to get his wife a job as a daycare manager at Arbeiterwohlfahrt, with excessive salaries and a company car.

Feldmann maintains his innocence and wants to face the proceedings.

Rainer Schulz

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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But anyone who asks around in the local groups is told: Of course, the prosecutor's charge is a heavy burden for the party.

The board of directors initially wants to wait and see whether the district court will allow the indictment and actually open the main proceedings.

But that's probably just a grace period: If Feldmann actually goes to court, the SPD could drop him.

The mood in the base is divided.

Most refer to the decision of the Presidium: The presumption of innocence also applies to the mayor.

If legal proceedings are initiated, the matter will be reassessed.

"We carry that with us.

He tells us he's innocent.

We trust that,” says Roger Bohn, chairman of the local association Nordweststadt-Niederursel.

But the subject naturally weighs on the party: "The matter is extremely unfortunate."

"People have had enough of the SPD"

The allegations would have cost the party many votes.

Petra Korn-Overländer from the Niederrad local association trusts that the sub-district board has made a good decision.

"But we may get into a situation where you have to think about whether he should resign." Eberhard Schwarz from the Bergen-Enkheim local association wishes Feldmann had done this a long time ago: "He harms the SPD, but he did not on screen.

He's doing his thing there.”

Schwarz thinks that the mayor should have resigned when the first allegations were made that he was involved in the "AWO affair".

“The SPD will no longer take a trick in Frankfurt.

People are fed up with the SPD because of Mr. Feldmann.”

Petra Scharf, deputy chairwoman of the SPD in Höchst, doesn't believe in resigning.

She first wants to know what "comes on the table" with the indictment.

Feldmann has achieved a lot for the city and especially for the west of Frankfurt.

Manfred Höfken from the Dornbusch local association has a similar view.

He describes Feldmann as a "personal friend" and doesn't think it's fair how the CDU is treating the mayor.

Fear of even worse damage

"The trumpet blasts bother me." Feldmann shouldn't be prejudiced, he says.

"There must be no velvet gloves, but also no sharpened guillotine that falls beforehand." Michael Bartram-sitzius from the local club Frankfurter Berg/Berkersheim also sees no reason to doubt Feldmann.

“He has done his merits and a lot for the city.” The party should not “let itself be burdened from outside”.

Others fear that the SPD will suffer even worse damage.

Stefan Helming from the Riederwald local association says he suffered a lot from how the election turned out: "It's also due to the behavior of the person." The whole process was unsavory and bad for the party.

"I wish he had said much earlier: I'm going."

Uwe Stein from the Niederursel local association did not vote for Feldmann in the election of the SPD mayoral candidate in 2011, but for his internal party competitor Michael Paris.

He has great respect for the work of party chairman Mike Josef: "Despite everything, he keeps the party going." Even if the mayor were to pull through, hardly anyone at the party base can imagine being re-elected.

Feldmann's second term ends in the summer of 2024. Stein considers it completely impossible that he will then stand for re-election.

"He cannot run again." And Uli Labonté, chairman of the Bornheim local association, also says that there is consensus that the party will nominate someone else in 2024.

"There is no shortage of suitable candidates at the top of the party."