The coalition negotiations that had to be conducted in Frankfurt after the local elections in March 2021 were not the easiest.
After 28 years, the CDU was no longer the strongest faction in Römer, but for the first time it was the Greens.
And they chose their coalition partners according to their own criteria.
Once there was still a lot of jerking because of internal disputes among the Liberals, then the coalition of the Greens, SPD, FDP and Volt was in place: the V traffic light, also known as the traffic light plus alliance.
Six months after the local elections on September 8th, the new city government, including the six heads of department newly elected on that day, began their work.
Under the motto "Designing a new Frankfurt" they announced a breath of fresh air for the Römer and the "social-ecological awakening".
No more tinkers
What has become of it?
One thing is certain: the current alliance does not seem to have had any conflicts like the ones led by the previous city government of the CDU, SPD and Greens, with people who sometimes argued like tinkers.
Political discussions are conducted internally, but the coalition presents itself to the outside world as one.
The new city government gives the impression of being able to solve problems.
There is, for example, the year-long discussion about the new location for the European School.
The coalition is in the process of agreeing to offer the school the fairground on Ratsweg.
And the heated argument that has been going on for years in the Römer about a location for a multifunctional arena also seems to have been almost settled: The hall is to be built in the immediate vicinity of the Waldstadion.
Adults look for solutions together
The new tone of the coalition is made clear by the announcement in mid-July: "We have now been able to reach a consensus in the magistrate to conduct an in-depth investigation of the location." That's what it sounds like when adults are looking for a solution together.
The magistrate showed exemplary cooperation in the issue of accommodation for the Ukrainian refugees.
There are still points of contention: the question of how many car traffic Frankfurt should allow is one, for example.
The topic is probably the clearest breaking point for the coalition, as the evaluation of the Mainkai closure this summer shows.
And the city government has so far completely failed to react to one thing: the catastrophic situation, aggravated by the Corona crisis, in the station district.
How things are there, how the drug milieu has developed with everything that goes with it, the metropolis of Frankfurt cannot afford to go one day longer.