Tübingen mayor Boris Palmer pauses state adviser role amid harassment allegations

Palmer pauses his state role

Boris Palmer, the 54-year-old mayor of Tübingen, has paused his volunteer post as bureaucracy adviser to the Baden-Württemberg government. He announced the step in a statement published on 3 November 2026, citing allegations about his private life that have not been confirmed. Bild first reported the allegations, and several outlets have since picked them up. The role is unpaid and sits alongside his duties at the town hall, and Palmer rejected the allegations in his statement.

“The allegations are baseless. I will defend myself against them and am examining legal steps.”

What the allegations concern

Spiegel reports that the allegations concern sexual harassment. A former Tübingen city councillor has raised extensive accusations against Palmer on her Instagram profile. Local reporting says she was elected to the council in 2020 and left it after the municipal election of 2024. Berliner Zeitung reports that she published a 17-page document on the matter. The presumption of innocence applies to Palmer, and the accusations remain unconfirmed.

Ties to the Greens

Palmer was a member of the Landtag early in his career and has been mayor of Tübingen since 2007. He was once mentioned as a possible successor to Winfried Kretschmann, who was then minister-president, before he left the Greens in 2023. Reports cite several scandals and an internal party dispute as the background to his exit. Many on the party's left wing regard him as a red rag, although he has been one of the state's most popular politicians and a frequent talk-show guest. Palmer has recently been open to a return, and party leaders have repeatedly signalled rapprochement.

The unpaid adviser role

After the state election, Palmer was appointed for two years as a volunteer adviser tasked with tackling bureaucracy in Baden-Württemberg. The role covers state modernisation and the simplification of administration. The state government said Minister-President Cem Özdemir, a Green, had asked Palmer to pause it until further notice. Özdemir and Palmer have known each other for many years, and Özdemir called Palmer a friend of the family at his own wedding.

Palmer asks for privacy

In his full statement, Palmer wrote that he had told the minister-president he would pause the role until the allegations are cleared up. He asked the media to respect his privacy and that of his family.

“I ask the media to respect my privacy and in particular that of my family.”

He said he would make no further statements for the time being.