Liberated Councilor Scheuer Discards Statements in Passau Municipal Council
Discontented Departure: Previously serving CSU heavyweight and Federal Minister of Transport Andreas Scheuer has decided to step down from his position in the Passau city council, all due to a disagreement over the reassignment of committee positions. In a Facebook and Instagram post titled "Done!", Scheuer publicly declared his withdrawal from duties, notifying Passau Mayor Jürgen Dupper of the SPD on Tuesday.
Scheuer's resignation stems from a tense exchange that reportedly transpired during the Passau city council meeting on Monday. Various committee positions, including the audit committee, were in line for a fresh appointment by the CSU. Although Scheuer agreed to incorporate this responsibility, given his new career focus and international engagements, he was disheartened by an apparent "staged show."
Scheuer responded with a fiery attack against two city council members (one Green, one independent carrying a CSU party record) and certain media outlets that reported on his upcoming new position. He regarded them as lapdogs of mischief, embroiled in a smear campaign. The anticipated reassignment sparked criticism and ridicule on social media, which Scheuer perceived as humiliating and prejudiced.
CSU's Inner Struggle
As numerous media sources reported from the city council meeting, both city council members taunted the situation of former CSU Federal Minister of Transport Scheuer, now slated for the audit committee and charged with reviewing Passau's finances. Ironically, one of the independent city council members is an actual CSU member but was denied admission to the CSU faction.
"Individuals who stir up negative sentiment and fostering discord, sowing dissent in a vexatious and conniving manner, unwittingly cause harm," Scheuer now writes in his post, adding, "They drive away those who willingly and authentically contribute to our common good and democracy."
Scheuer held office as Federal Minister of Transport within Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet from 2018 until 2021. The fiasco surrounding the tolls remains the most prominent event of his tenure: Following an EU Court of Justice ruling that deemed the proposed car toll as unconstitutional in 2019, the federal government ended up paying out €243 million in damages for past deals. In April of this year, Scheuer surrendered his seat in Germany's Bundestag.
The first sentence that contains the word 'Andreas Scheuer' from the text is: "Discontented Departure: Previously serving CSU heavyweight and Federal Minister of Transport Andreas Scheuer has decided to step down from his position in the Passau city council."
A second sentence that contains the word 'Andreas Scheuer' is: "Scheuer held office as Federal Minister of Transport within Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet from 2018 until 2021."
