DThere are three weeks between the first ballot and the run-off election of the new mayor of Frankfurt. In order to keep the voters loyal for so long, the candidates must remain visible in the cityscape. New posters with new slogans attract attention. Apparently the CDU did it better and faster than the SPD. Uwe Becker has been smiling fresh from new posters since the first ballot. On the other hand, Mike Josef’s old motifs were still hanging for a long time, and some of them were pretty battered.
That suggests an assumption: did the SPD run out of money in the middle of the election campaign? It’s not that bad, because the SPD has also upgraded in the meantime. There are new motifs with Josef, most of which were only hung up at the beginning of this week. As Josef’s campaign manager Ralph Klinkenborg explains, there was a slight delay at one service provider. The new posters were only commissioned after it was clear that Josef had made it into the runoff. Then a lot of time went by with the printing and also with the postering.
“For Frankfurt: social, ecological, diverse”
The CDU, on the other hand, could be sure that their candidate would make it into the runoff election and had it pre-produced. The fact that Becker usually smiled in new motifs from the big billboards on Monday after the first ballot is a question of professionalism for CDU district manager Thorsten Weber. “Such posters have a lead time of eight to ten days.” There were three weeks between the elections in Frankfurt this time. “Often there are only two, then you can save yourself the replacement right away.” That’s why he always advises other city associations to take precautions at an early stage. “On the night after the first Sunday of the election, we then only gave the order to glue the new motifs.” Many members worked on posters on the lanterns.
On March 26, 2023, there will be a runoff for the mayoral election in Frankfurt between Uwe Becker and Mike Josef. Compare the candidates’ answers with your points of view.
To the election compass
Before the run-off election, the SPD increased its campaign budget by another 50,000 euros from the original 250,000 euros. This was primarily used to finance new posters. 45 “Testimonials” on which well-known Frankfurters express their support for Josef, and 45 large posters with the new slogan “For Frankfurt: social, ecological, diverse”. In addition, 500 new small posters were set up. Old posters are provided with so-called disruptors. These are small stickers with the slogan “It’s time now” that refer to the runoff election on March 26th.
This money comes entirely from the party treasury, because the SPD has only raised relatively few donations. Only 45,000 euros came together – mostly small donations. In order not to expose itself to accusations of bribery, the SPD has rejected donations from all sectors that Josef is involved with as head of planning and sports. There is talk of around 80,000 euros, which the party has not accepted or returned.
According to Klinkenborg, it is a “high five-digit sum”, including from the real estate industry. There shouldn’t be any connection with Josef’s work as head of planning. In other words: The suspicion should not arise that a project developer receives a building permit because he supported the SPD in the election campaign.
Allegations of bribery should be avoided
The managing director of the SPD sub-district, Sebastian Maier, explains the process. All donations from a magnitude of more than 2000 euros are discussed in the board of the party. “It is checked whether the donor is doing legal business with the city or hoping for an advantage,” says Maier. In critical cases, the sum will be returned. The party is also consulting with the Audit Office. “We don’t accept any donations from the industries that Mike Josef is involved with professionally,” says Maier. In addition, an independent auditor checks whether everything is going right. During the last OB election campaign, the party was attested that it worked flawlessly.
The success of your own candidate also has its price for the CDU. For the first ballot, 230,000 euros were spent, a little more than initially estimated, says Weber. Another 110,000 euros were added for the runoff campaign. The entire amount is financed by donations. “You can only spend what you have,” says Weber. In the absence of an office in the city – Becker is Hessian State Secretary for European and Federal Affairs – the risk of conflicts of interest is significantly lower than with the head of the planning department. The run-off election motivated some donors again, says the district manager. Above all, this helps to place ads again.