The city of Frankfurt faces important decisions in the coming years.
Will it be possible to develop commercial areas and provide an infrastructure in order to offer industrial companies attractive framework conditions?
Is Frankfurt able to create start-ups that are interesting for investors and can become successful beyond the borders of the region on its own?
Can Frankfurt train specialists to deal with the increasing shortage of staff?
What consequences will the current uncertainty, inflation and recession have on the local economy and thus on jobs, wages and trade tax revenue?
The economy plays a central role in Frankfurt.
Against this background, the question of who controls the city's economic development is anything but trivial.
Ultimately, urban society is a link between, on the one hand, politics, which is supposed to set the framework for the economy to thrive, and, on the other hand, businesses and their needs.
The departure of managing director Oliver Schwebel, who will leave the business development agency at the end of the year with a previously unknown destination, comes at the wrong time due to the economic policy challenges and is partly interpreted in the Römer’s environment in such a way that there are discrepancies behind the scenes about the orientation and working methods of the company could have.
The farewell, which came as a surprise to many, opens a gap.
Schwebel was energetic, present, well connected and therefore able to bring people together quickly.
He knew how to take advantage of the “short distances” – also in a figurative sense.
Something that sets Frankfurt apart from other metropolises.
Regardless of the person, it is important to find a successor for Schwebel as quickly as possible.
The competition for the international money laundering authority, which Frankfurt would like to locate on the Main in order to strengthen the financial location, is an example of the fact that the city and its economy cannot afford a vacuum, especially in the face of complex challenges.
In Frankfurt's Römer, the discussion about the replacement and possibly a reorientation of economic development has begun.
You should quickly come to a fruitful result.