For 20 years, from 1984 to 2004, he confidently led the affairs of the mid-sized town of St. Ingbert. The appointment as honorary mayor in the city hall, which was filled to the last seat, could not have been more dignified.
Right after the opening piece performed by the Bergkapelle with Mozart's "The Abduction from the Seraglio," Mayor Dr. Ulli Meyer took the stage and delivered the eulogy for his predecessor several terms ago: "Your contributions to the city of St. Ingbert are numerous, and I would like to mention only a few here. You united the city after a paralyzing conflict in the 1970s. From my time in the city council and various committees, where we were politically on different sides, I can only say that you always prioritized the cause and the well-being of the city. Under your leadership, the city was in good hands." He went on to say that Winfried Brandenburg had rehabilitated the city with the necessary foresight and set it on a positive course. The city's debt relief without external assistance was only possible because "you exercised restraint and moderation, both in infrastructure and personnel decisions. You did not meet all demands but did what was right and important for the matter." His term also coincided with the structural change from the steel crisis to the new settlement of SAP and the expansion of FESTO. "You ensured that the citizens of St. Ingbert have jobs and livelihoods here in our city," the current mayor thanked in his eulogy. "You are a St. Ingbert resident through and through and have always served the city during your term. For that, I thank you!"
Dr. Winfried Brandenburg began his speech with the words: "Good evening, dear friends... and for the sake of correctness, of course, dear female friends as well," which brought a smile to the audience. The 83-year-old former mayor sincerely thanked everyone for this special honor at the New Year's concert of the Bergkapelle. After all, it is the flagship of the cultural city of St. Ingbert and has always represented the city excellently statewide, nationwide, and internationally, always connected to the mining tradition in St. Ingbert. "A few years before the territorial reform in 1974 in Saarland, St. Ingbert was supposed to be incorporated into the Saarbrücken district. Only our Palatinate-Bavarian past saved us from that," Dr. Brandenburg said in his speech. "My thanks this evening go to everyone politically responsible for awarding this special honorary title. I would also like to thank my longtime companions from the administration who stood by me during my term in office and supported me energetically." In conclusion, he wished everyone present that the new year 2023 would be a better one because people simply deserve that now.
Around 750 guests attended the first New Year's concert of the Bergkapelle after the pandemic period. Both the musicians and the audience enjoyed an extraordinary concert evening with New Year's magic from 1001 Nights. Among the guests of honor and congratulators were Interior Minister Reinhold Jost, District Administrator Dr. Theophil Gallo, the Saarland CDU chairman Stephan Toscani, as well as numerous political companions of the Social Democrat Winfried Brandenburg.
