Frankfurt faces: Karin Müller
vfirst week it was Palestinians, this week it’s Russians. In addition, there are always lateral thinkers who regularly take to the streets even after the failure of compulsory vaccination. There isn’t a weekend that Karin Müller doesn’t have in mind, even when she’s just visiting her homeland, the Spessart. As head of the Frankfurt Regulatory Office, she is also responsible for the assembly authority. She is familiar with a wide variety of groups, with conditional orders and the legal regulations, which, as she emphasizes, also include the principle: “We don’t approve anything, you register with us. After all, the fundamental right to freedom of expression is a valuable asset.” Müller is an advocate of clear communication. And that got her far.
Born and raised in Bad Orb, she originally wanted to be a police officer as a child. She was familiar with the topics of order and security. Her father, who was employed by the police as a driver, has always been a close companion to her and, as she says, still is today. He encouraged her to go her own way. After graduating from high school, Karin Müller did not go to the police, but to the city administration. After completing her training in Frankfurt, she came to work in the personnel and organization office – and along the way also to Boris Rhein, when he was still Head of Human Resources. She became his personal assistant and later, when Rhein moved to the Ministry of the Interior as a minister, his office manager. There she gained respect, also in state politics. However, they always maintained the bridges to Frankfurt.
She doesn’t need a lot of times
Also because the city had meanwhile become her new home. You can no longer imagine not living in a big city, says the sixty-year-old. Opera, museums, theaters – everything is within walking distance. She goes to the opera, it works. Not just in Frankfurt, but all over the world.
Because one thing Karin Müller never lets go of is travelling. They don’t need many times, she says. During the week she is often in the office late, often into the evening. On vacation, however, she just wanted to “be by herself”. Hiking tours, like those coming soon on the south coast of England, or city trips to Paris or New York will relax you. If the corona situation allows it to improve again, she also wants to fly back to Australia, where she has relatives. A few years ago she used to get on her motorbike after work in the summer to end the day relaxing with a drive through the region. But she sold her Yamaha TDM some time ago – because she didn’t have time for trips. “At some point the machine was just standing around, so I handed it over with a heavy heart,” says Müller. But there are always moments when she catches herself reconsidering whether she wants to buy a motorcycle again.
Maybe it’s the pace that appeals to Karin Müller. Because with everything she does, results are quickly visible. She has the reputation of being a “do-it-yourselfer” – in the very best sense. She needs that too, especially in the regulatory office. Not only the city police are subject to it, but also the immigration authorities, which are currently responsible for taking in Ukrainian refugees. In addition, the food control department is based in her house, a department that is in demand like never before. The authority has not been in such a good position for a long time. Müller not only looks for solutions, she also finds them.