Who can say of themselves that they already knew at the age of five where they would like to work one day.

This applies to Brigitte Palmowsky.

Holding her mother's hand, she got to know the Frankfurt City Hall and decided: I want to work there later in the Römer.

She immediately asked her mother to register her there, as she knew from kindergarten, so that there would be a place available for her when she was ready.

Mechthild Harting

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

  • Follow I follow

The attraction that the historic building had on her - in the middle of Frankfurt city center, where Palmowsky lived as a child - has remained for her.

To this day she still raves about "this dignity, this respectability" that the Romans radiated for her.

In fact, after graduating from high school, she went to the city at the age of 19 and trained as a qualified administrator.

Since then she has held senior positions in the city treasury and in the departmental offices of two CDU city councillors, Nikolaus Burggraf and Boris Rhein.

Calm, conscientious and structured

An increase, says Palmowsky, is the feeling that the Roman triggers in her when she enters the plenary hall, where the city parliament meets monthly, unless there is a pandemic.

So it's fitting that Palmowsky now heads the office of the city council.

A task that she has been carrying out for 14 years and as the first woman ever.

Anyone who associates the terms city administration and civil servant with the fact that someone works according to the rules, has a nine-to-five job, does not know the senior municipal director.

Everything is always done calmly, extremely conscientiously and in a structured manner, no matter how long a session at the Römer lasts.

The fact that Palmowsky does not come across as aloof and is highly valued in Romans also has to do with the fact that she lapses into Frankfurter at the right moment.

Palmowsky sees itself as a service provider for the city and its citizens.

After all, she and her team ensure that parliamentary operations in the Römer, which include the 93 city councilors as well as the 284 local advisory board members, function smoothly and noiselessly.

The elimination of the five percent hurdle means more and more work

The reformed municipal electoral law with the abolition of the five percent hurdle gives Palmowsky and her team more work from election to election.

16 groups moved into the Römer a year ago, more than ever before.

This also increases the number of parliamentary bills, all of which pass through the office of the City Council.

The number of budget applications that are currently being discussed is now more than 500, a good 140 alone from the factions of the city government.

It is typical of Palmowsky that she has these figures ready, observes developments and can document them precisely.

What is unusual is that in this one case she takes a political view and calls for the reintroduction of a threshold clause.

A five percent hurdle will no longer exist.

But a clause stating that a party has to get at least 2.5 percent of the vote, "that would be good for the processes," she says.

Otherwise, the head of office attaches great importance to the fact that the office of the city council is neutral and that all those elected are "equally cared for and advised".

Her heart, which strangely enough can beat when she looks at the city's budget - "this is the most beautiful book I know" - beats above all to ensure that things are going the way they are in the city parliament which, in their opinion, is due to a large and important city like Frankfurt.

This includes the respectful interaction of the city councilors with each other and that "overall the dignity of the parliament is preserved - especially in today's time".