On Wednesday evening, a 62-year-old driver coming from the A5 wanted to turn towards Muggensturm in the area of the Rastatt Nord motorway exit. “He came to the central island in his car, presumably because he was under the influence of alcohol,” the police report says. His vehicle then crashed into a traffic light. No one was injured and the exact damage to property could not be quantified at the moment. When the police arrived at the scene of the accident, a voluntary breath alcohol test showed the driver had a blood alcohol level of around one and a half per mille. The driver’s license was confiscated by the officers.
Now it turns out: the driver is no stranger. The 62-year-old man is the independent mayor of Baden-Baden, Dietmar Späth. Opposite the “Badische Neue Nachrichten” (BNN) lawyer Gerhard Bräuer specified that, according to the current information, his client was under the influence of alcohol and medication during the crime. “My client will take full responsibility for his misconduct,” lawyer Bräuer is quoted as saying. It is currently unknown what consequences the mayor will have to expect other than his driving license being revoked.
There is now public pressure for Späth to resign from his position. You can read the current developments here.
After hostility: Mayor has been on sick leave since August
The mayor of Baden-Baden has been under considerable pressure in recent months due to public hostility in connection with the budget crisis. The “whoremonger trial” also weighs on the 62-year-old. An older woman wrote the following comment on Facebook: “Especially when the leader is an unscrupulous hello and easy-going whore.”
Background: Despite the city’s high debts and a hole in the budget, the local council spent two days in the 5-star “Erbprinz” hotel in Ettlingen in the Karlsruhe district during a closed meeting last fall. This was sometimes sharply criticized by citizens, including the elderly lady who wanted to vent her anger through comments on Facebook. During the course of the trial, the defense brought up numerous dirty details that were said to come from the mayor’s private life. In court, the woman protested her innocence and argued that the term was meant to be satirical because it had a smiley face behind it.
The district court nevertheless sentenced her to a fine of 7,500 euros for insult and fraud. Both parties appealed. There is currently no legal end to the dispute in sight.
Mayor Späth underwent medical treatment in August and has been on sick leave ever since. His return was delayed several times. In mid-October, the city announced that he would be out until the end of November. In the meantime, the mayors take over his duties. Späth’s current health status is currently unclear.
