Frankfurt was lucky.
Not every city has a list of mayors whose names should be known.
Franz Adickes created new residential areas that are known throughout the country, such as West, East and North End, had the Alleenring built and the Osthafen.
Ludwig Landmann was able to revive the Frankfurt Trade Fair, which had disappeared in the 19th century - and had to give way to the Nazis.
The tasks of Walter Kolb included the reconstruction of the Romans, the Imperial Cathedral and the reconstruction of the Goethe House.
But Kolb also had the Waldstadion expanded to make it the second largest German sports arena at the time, and he also contributed to the reconstruction of the Paulskirche.
Walter Wallmann pushed through the reconstruction of the half-timbered houses on the Römerberg and supported the citizens' initiative to restore the Old Opera.
He took care of the redevelopment of the station district and laid the foundation for the Museum Embankment.
Petra Roth was directly elected as the first female mayor. She modernized attitudes towards Islam, migration and integration issues and drug policy.
Roth was traded for the highest offices.
Other names fill more than just the gaps, for example Volker Hauff or Andreas von Schoeler.
Now Frankfurt is unlucky.
Because there is still Peter Feldmann from the SPD, the incumbent.
He took on too great an inheritance, missed an honorable farewell and disenchanted the office.
He lacks the appreciation and honesty that one must have in order to hold the office of mayor of the city of Frankfurt am Main so successfully that one is fondly remembered for it.
Feldman does not resign
Feldmann does not resign, although everyone in the city assumes that the regional court will allow charges of taking advantage of office against him.
He is not resigning, despite calls from all relevant parties, including his own, to do so.
He is not resigning, although his tenure has been dominated by embarrassment for weeks.
A search of his office was followed by a nasty old man's joke to the flight attendants on the trip to Seville for the Europa League Cup final.
The later misconduct at the reception for the cup winners made him an undesirable person in the Eintracht stadium.
Despite everything, Feldmann believes he can hold office, even if a criminal case is brought against him.
Because he has managed to get through his life with a charming smile and a twinkle in his eye.
Built on sand
It may be that nothing about it is justiciable because a wink is not notarized.
But everything important that you take a closer look at in Feldmann's life is built on surprisingly poorly resilient relationship sand for someone who was elected to his second term with a good 70 percent of the votes cast.
Since he himself keeps mentioning his two children – without needing to – it should also be pointed out: Others are better at separating private and professional life and are better at keeping the partnership(s) together.
Even separations are said to have been more amicable: Feldmann is not afraid of long processes, which is why he is not afraid of such a thing about his AWO affair, which brought him charges from the public prosecutor's office.
His life experience has shown so far: people lose interest, it sorts itself out somehow, superficially.
But injuries remain, and at some point the bills will come, emotionally and financially.
He doesn't want to pay her.
He is counting on a kind of statute of limitations in office, and his most recent public statements suggest nothing else.
"By the end of the summer break" he now wants to largely withdraw from the most important dates.
Why only so short?
The city should no longer provide information about his performances.
Is that even allowed?
It goes with the fact that he doesn't want to work less, "but differently".
But nobody in the city government will listen to him anymore.
There is something revealing in every detail.
Feldmann says he "scared himself" about the video of his slippery airplane speech: How does that fit with his spokesman's statement that he apologized for it "on the plane"?
He also wanted to "touch" the trophy "as a fan".
The truth is: he took the trophy away, as did the whole town, which he is now indirectly telling to give it a go.
Frankfurt doesn't deserve such a mayor.
The city parliament in the Römer must now unanimously initiate the deselection.
The deputies owe it to the office, to Feldmann's predecessors, to themselves and to the city.