The names hofmann and glauber are associated with perhaps the most unusual election campaign in the history of the district of forchheim. It was 1996 when the then district administrator otto ammon (CSU) retired after 32 years in office. And no one doubted that voting district deputy walter hofmann (CSU) would be his successor. "Naturally walter hofmann" the election slogan at the time. But then came the shock that still seems to be felt today in the CSU district.
Today’s district administrator reinhardt glauber () can still remember those days very well 24. March 1996 remember, it was the evening of the stichwahl. Glauber sab with his friends at the schrufer inn in pinzberg. They drank to the fact that the election campaign was finally over. Also for the free voters it was clear that walter hofmann would be elected as district administrator that evening. Then the senior manager of the inn stepped up to the table: "reinhardt, can you come to the phone? It’s ammon." the nuchterne message from outgoing district councilor otto ammon on the phone: "please come into office, you are a district councilor."
Walter hofmann also remembers exactly. A "painful defeat was the evening of the stichwahl. All the more painful for the now 73-year-old because he had warned at the time not to take his election as a district councilor for granted. Almost prophetically, hofmann had already predicted a year before that 24. Marz warned at a county delegates’ meeting in 1996: "the time of the political opponent’s uncapturable seats is coming to an end."
too clear to go to the runoff election?
On the evening of the election, 10. Marz, had hofmann against the three candidates werner monius, reinhardt glauber
and rose strongly fetched 47.8 percent of the votes. 28.535 voters had cast their ballots for hofmann, 15.828 decided in favor of glauber. But the CSU didn’t expect it: their voters thought it was so clear that many didn’t go to the runoff election.
"What surprised me the most", says walter hofmann, looking back: "glauber was elected county councilor with 5,000 votes less than I had in the first ballot."
while hofmann suffered after the defeat ("it wasn’t just about me, i felt sorry for the party"), the winner was anything but euphoric: what have i done to myself? That was his first thought after winning the election, says glauber, now 64. At that time, his goal was to be re-elected as mayor of pinzberg. As a candidate for state council, he only allowed himself to be "beaten by a wide margin", because the free voters were looking for a top candidate.
Curiously, the glauber vs. Hofmann duel is once again topical in the 2013 election campaign: although walter hofmann has been retired from active politics since 1999 and reinhardt glauber has celebrated his last day in office (30. April) clearly in view. And yet the rivals of yesteryear are meeting in the 2013 election campaign – at least indirectly.
Fathers stick up posters for their sons
both have a son who is preparing to sit in the next state parliament; both support their sons in the election campaign. And both are convinced of their son’s success.
"I don’t give him any advice, says reinhardt glauber. But he accompanied his son thorsten eagerly sticking posters. "He has a good chance of winning the direct mandate", glauber senior is convinced. After all, "thorsten" had already achieved the best first-vote result in bavaria five years ago."
walter hofmann also sticks up posters. At his junior’s election events, however, he is present only sometimes, and then in the background. He observes "with pride and joy, how his son michael performs. In fact, he has been in "political dialogue with him for 30 years". He sees the current election campaign as a continuation of this dialogue, says hofmann. It is by no means a fight between hofmann and glauber, emphasizes the 73-year-old: "it is a fight for the direct mandate – and all the important criteria speak for the CSU."
Reinhardt doesn’t believe in the image of a two-way fight between the CSU and free voters: "this idea has been a forchheim specialty since the 1996 district council election campaign", says the acting district administrator. In the district, for example, this rivalry never played a role: "in the district committee, the free voters even got a seat from the CSU faction."