Overview
- The Stadtverordnetenversammlung voted 21–9 on May 21 to begin an Abwahlverfahren that formally puts removal of Mayor David Rendel to a citizen referendum.
- Rendel declined a one-week window to resign and said he will leave the decision to Raunheim voters rather than step down voluntarily.
- The recall follows a long-running provisions affair over about €2 million in commission payments tied to past property sales and a 2023 Amtsgericht Darmstadt ruling against the mayor on repayment disputes.
- CDU council member Nils Mertens filed a police complaint accusing Rendel of a threat during the May 21 session, and the Staatsanwaltschaft has opened an investigation handled by the polizeilicher Staatsschutz for attempted coercion.
- The local SPD has suspended political support and urged Rendel to accept the recall, leaving him politically isolated and creating uncertainty over municipal leadership and projects until the September vote.