One of the routines of Berlin politics is the weekly meeting of the Senate. The senators meet every Tuesday and then the most important topics are presented at the state press conference. So it was of course somewhat funny that this Tuesday, Transport Senator Manja Schreiner (CDU) was the only representative of the Senate to appear at the well-attended press conference. In fact, the dominant topic of the week had nothing to do with her house: the love affair between the governing mayor Kai Wegner and the education senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch, his Christian Democratic party colleague.
“I am pleased about the great interest in my tram,” said the Transport Senator, visibly amused. For ten minutes she laid out the route of a new line to the old Tegel Airport. Only then did Senate spokeswoman Christine Richter get to the actual topic of the week: The Governing Mayor had made a suggestion as to how he and the Education Senator wanted to separate private and business matters.
Now it’s about “legal clarity,” says Franziska Giffey
In doing so, Wegner complied with demands for clear regulations for possible conflict cases. The coalition partner SPD also commented on Monday. “Now it’s about creating legal clarity and defining concrete procedures for the strict separation of private and professional interests,” said Economics Senator Franziska Giffey.
The Governing Mayor’s proposal stipulates that in future conflicts in which the education administration is involved, the Finance Senator and Deputy Mayor Stefan Evers, CDU, should mediate. If the financial administration itself is involved, Franziska Giffey, SPD and also deputy mayor, should take over the moderation. It will also be examined whether the Senate’s rules of procedure need to be revised. Because cases such as the relationship between two Senate members are not clearly regulated there.
“Part-time mayors with limited decision-making power,” complain the Greens
It remained unclear how Wegner’s proposals would fit in with his mandate as Governing Mayor to lead the Senate. “Now the governing mayor is legalizing behavior that is not permitted in state-owned companies,” noted the opposition Greens. “It is questionable whether such a part-time mayor with limited decision-making power can fulfill the role of a governor.”
The rumor about a relationship between Kai Wegner and Katharina Günther-Wünsch became public at the beginning of last week through several media reports. On Friday, Wegner’s lawyer finally made the liaison public. Accordingly, the governing mayor and the education senator “decided” to enter into a relationship last fall.