Frankfurt Mayor Peter Feldmann (SPD) has been in office for ten years this weekend.

Since he did not resign prematurely due to various scandals, he can now look forward to this round anniversary on a business trip to Ho Chi Minh City with his remaining companions.

The occasion is the Automechanika trade fair in Ho Chi Minh City, organized by Messe Frankfurt, which started there on Wednesday.

Feldmann is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the trade fair company.

His spokesman emphasized that the supplier fair was one of Messe Frankfurt's "export hits" and that it was the first edition since the beginning of the corona pandemic.

The political highlight will be a reception by the Chairman of the People's Committee of the Vietnamese capital, Phan Van Mai, whose rank is roughly equivalent to that of Lord Mayor.

Carsten Knop

Editor.

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But even at home it is time to look back on what has been achieved.

This story begins a little over ten years ago: after his predecessor, the CDU Mayor Petra Roth, announced his resignation, the Frankfurt SPD nominated him in November 2011 as the top candidate for the March 2012 elections.

The then Hessian Minister of the Interior and current Prime Minister Boris Rhein stood for the CDU.

In the first ballot on March 11, he was ahead of Feldmann with 39.1 percent of the votes, who got 33 percent.

In the run-off election on March 25, Feldmann prevailed against Rhein with 57.4 percent of the votes.

Feldmann took office on July 1, 2012.

It was a sensation.

What has the mayor been up to since then?

In addition to reducing aircraft noise, Feldmann advocated better integration of older citizens, the creation of affordable housing, education and the fight against child poverty.

In the past ten years, the successful (affordable housing) has been mixed with the less successful (aircraft noise, education).

The tensions were more formative for his administration anyway.

At the beginning of 2013 there was a first scandal between Feldmann and the magistrate about the staffing and reorganization of departments.

The dispute escalated, whereupon the magistrate officially gave him a disapproval, a procedure that was unique in the city at the time.

He shouldn't be the only one.

In 2018, Feldmann won the election with ease

Feldmann was soon considered the "media mayor" who "consistently tries to govern the public and his public image".

This “media self-presentation” was also up for discussion in August 2017 during a question time of the city parliament.

The FDP accused Feldmann of abusing the newly structured office for communication and city marketing essentially for his self-portrayal.

It is interesting that in the course of his scandals "the media" have now also turned against him, which Feldmann does not seem to be too impressed with.