Shortly before the vote: Central Mayor Stephan von Dassel (Greens) Photo: dpa/picture-alliance
By Stephen Peter
All against one: At the special session of the district council, the mayor of the middle, Stephan von Dassel (55, Greens), was completely whacked off for an hour. Except for the AfD, all factions called for his resignation!
The final decision will not be made until September 8th. But even von Dassel admits: “I suspect that my deselection can hardly be prevented.”
He spoke at the beginning of the debate, defending his contact with an unsuccessful job applicant – who demanded three months’ salary (over 18,000 euros), which the mayor did not clearly refuse. His SMS to the man was “highly misleading”.
According to von Dassel, he damaged the reputation of his party and confidence in his own conduct of office. But: “I can say with a clear conscience that I only wanted and still want the best for the district.” Immediate resignation was out of the question.
But his words did not go down well. Sebastian Pieper (CDU) von Dassel accused him of “acting with half-truths”. Sven Diedrich (left): “It’s unique that a district mayor tries to buy his top staff together.”
Even with the Greens outrage. Group leader Lela Sisauri: “His behavior contradicts the basic green values and the democratic understanding of my party.” Susanne Fischer (SPD): “Mr. von Dassel has committed an unacceptable border crossing.”
The day before the BVV meeting, the head of the town hall wrote to the Greens members in Mitte. In it he asked “forgiveness to all who suffer from the consequences of this thoughtless action”.