The former mayor of Unterhaching, Erwin Knapek, and his successor, Wolfgang Panzer (both SPD), will no longer be close friends. The municipal geothermal project, built by Knapek and sold by Panzer, tore the tablecloth between them. But now the long-simmering conflict is escalating. Following a decision by the community’s council of elders, of which Panzer is chairman, Knapek was denied participation in the climate workshop, which brought together members of six working groups on Tuesday evening to discuss, among other things, proposals on “expansion of renewable energies” and “climate-friendly living”. to work out. Official reason for unloading the proven geothermal expert: He does not live in town. Knapek, who lives in Oberhaching, sees what the incumbent town hall chief sees as a democratic decision by the council of elders as a deliberate affront to a critic who has become unpopular. Panzer said he was “completely dismayed and very sad” about how Knapek was treating him and his employees.
On June 11th, the physicist Erwin Knapek sent an email to Philipp Dürr from the 2030 climate resilience department in the town hall Week one had to tell him that only citizens currently registered in Unterhaching and representatives of institutions active in Unterhaching were allowed to participate in local development and thus also in the climate workshop.
On the same day, Knapek emailed his successor directly with the initial question: “Dear Wolfgang, what is the purpose of this attack?” It is very remarkable that a former mayor, founder of the local Agenda 21 Unterhaching, founder and builder of the Unterhaching geothermal energy plant and recognized expert in climate protection is no longer happy to be seen in Unterhaching. “Despite all possible correctness of the decision of the Council of Elders, I have no understanding for it and probably not a few Unterhachingen people either,” he told Wolfgang Panzer.
“I am convinced that we can achieve good results without paternalism from other communities,” writes the mayor
The tit-for-tat response followed on Monday, one day before the meeting of the working groups in the climate workshop, also by e-mail from the acting mayor: “Dear Erwin, we are neither crazy nor are there any attacks against individuals.” On the basis of resolutions by the municipal council, citizens’ workshops are held on how to deal with future climate and energy-related challenges in Unterhaching. The opinion of the Unterhachinger citizens is asked! “I am convinced that we can achieve good results without paternalism from other communities,” writes Panzer. “In addition, we are well aware that in the course of the process experts can be consulted on individual questions. So I assume that you, as a politically active citizen of Oberhaching, have a great deal of understanding for this approach.”
According to Erwin Knapek, the members of the Council of Elders, which consists of the mayor, his two deputies and the respective parliamentary group chairmen, did not even know that they had booted him out with their vote. Panzer let them vote on not letting non-locals into the climate workshop, and when asked who that meant, said: “It doesn’t matter.” The municipality has sent several non-residents a rejection, which has nothing to do with Knapek, Panzer defends his position. “Erwin Knapek’s knowledge is not in question, but he has been in local politics in Unterhaching for 14 years and we have developed further,” said Panzer on Tuesday to the SZ.
According to the former mayor, the reasons are different. His successor is most annoyed that he criticized him for selling the Unterhaching geothermal energy plant to the municipality of Grünwald, says Knapek. And Panzer has been working for a long time to oust him from the memory of the community. It all began in 2008, shortly after he took office, when the municipality received a prize for its geothermal energy project in Deutsche Bank’s “Land of Ideas” competition and Panzer didn’t mention it at all in his speech.
Knapek announced on Tuesday afternoon that he would still be present at the climate workshop in the evening. He had been invited as an expert by local councilors of the Greens.