After the mayor's dismissal: A West German is supposed to prevent an SPD disaster in Potsdam

Don't they have their own people? That's probably the most common reaction to a surprising personnel change: Severin Fischer, currently State Secretary for Economic Affairs in Berlin, is set to become the new mayor of Potsdam for the SPD. One thing is certain: It won't be a walk in the park. The permanent subscription to the position – always in SPD hands since 1990 – could soon end.

The fact that a new candidate for Brandenburg's most important municipal office is even needed is something the SPD has only itself to blame. Or rather, Mike Schubert . He was accused of corruption—he had invited himself and his wife too freely to sporting events—and poor administration for so long that he was only tolerated by his own people in the Potsdam city council. Everyone else wanted him out. In the end, the citizens voted to recall him. Schubert had to go after almost seven years—one year before the end of his regular term.

Nevertheless, many are now wondering how the Brandenburg SPD, in its search for a successor, even came across Severin Fischer from Berlin. The party says they specifically approached Fischer, but he didn't apply.

The reasons for the surprising appointment are complex. And they seem to lie—besides Fischer's professional qualifications—primarily in Potsdam's local politics. Mike Schubert's departure after years of dispute left a trail of scorched earth in the city council, it is said. Naturally, the city council first examined its own ranks, but there was no one—at least no one who was untainted. The idea of ​​an outside solution soon matured, it is said. In other words: The new person should bring calm.

SPD Brandenburg: Schubert's end leaves scorched earth

The election of the new mayor will take place on September 21. If no candidate achieves an absolute majority of 50 percent in the first round, the two candidates with the most votes will compete in a runoff election on October 12.

This means that the newcomer Fischer doesn't have much time to make a name for himself among the Potsdam electorate. This will be desperately needed, because not only is nobody there familiar with him, but the 42-year-old also has at least two biographical characteristics that don't exactly make him a natural winner: Severin Fischer was born in Franconia and has worked (and lived) in Berlin for years, having only occasional professional contact with Potsdam in recent years.

Fischer's political influence was shaped by his striking closeness to Franziska Giffey. In 2018, he became head of her executive staff at the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. He quickly became one of the most important members of her network. It was fitting, then, that Giffey appointed him as her successor at the helm of the Neukölln SPD.

When Giffey resigned as minister due to the controversy surrounding her thesis, Fischer initially stayed on. However, when Giffey became Governing Mayor in 2021, she appointed Fischer head of the Senate Chancellery. And when she became Senator for Economic Affairs in 2023, she brought him in as State Secretary responsible for Energy and Public Enterprises.

Fischer should therefore have sufficient administrative experience – that might be appropriate for a state capital with 188,000 inhabitants . But is this qualification sufficient? Doesn't he need a working knowledge of the business or at least a deeper understanding of the new field?

As head of the Senate Chancellery in Berlin, Severin Fischer was also responsible for the metropolitan region and media policy—and thus primarily for the RBB (Railway Broadcasting). As State Secretary, he now sits on the supervisory boards of cross-state companies such as the Berlin-Brandenburg Airport (BER), the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association (VBB), and the Berlin-Brandenburg Media Board. His advocates say he is familiar with Brandenburg and Potsdam and doesn't need to learn the ropes.

Nevertheless, Fischer is and remains an outsider, from the Moloch, as many Brandenburgers like to call Berlin . SPD General Secretary Kurt Fischer (no relation, no marriage) doesn't see any problems. "The difference between Berlin and Potsdam is much smaller than that between Uckermark and Potsdam," he told the Berliner Zeitung.

That leaves the elephant in the room: Fischer is a West German . Oh, that's not a problem either, says the Secretary General. At least not in Potsdam, where the East-West debate is "not as narrow-minded" as elsewhere.

Potsdam: Is the united front against the AfD now coming?

Potsdam is now eagerly awaiting how the other parties will line up for the mayoral election. The CDU, the Left Party, and the Greens, who jointly pushed for Schubert's downfall, have not yet announced any candidates. It's possible that one or two parties will forgo the nomination and rally behind SPD candidate Fischer, according to reports from Potsdam.

In any case, one opposing candidate has already been chosen: Khaled-Uwe Said of the AfD. He has also already stated what he envisions for the city: "An end to ideological transport policy, priority for the safety of our citizens, and a clear no to illegal immigration." Said was born in Dresden in 1974, studied public administration, and has lived in Potsdam since 1998.