reform in Hesse in 1972. Politics In 1948 the Free Democratic Party was founded in Heppenheim. Town council The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results: The elections in March 2016 showed the following results: CDU: 14 seats SPD: 9 seats The LEFT: 1 seat FDP: 4 seats GLH: 4 seats FWHPINI: 3 seats LIZ: 2 seats Mayors In the runoff election on 10 April 2005, Gerhard Herbert (SPD) defeated the incumbent Ulrich Obermayr (CDU). Herbert took over the mayor's office on 1 September 2005 from Obermayr, who had held it for 18 years. In 2011 Rainer Burelbach (* 1965) (CDU) was elected mayor with 55,6 % of the votes. The following mayors have held office in Heppenheim since the municipal constitution was promulgated in 1821: 1Dr. Schiffers switched to the NSDAP to keep abreast of changes, but he soon ran into difficulties with the Party and thereby lost his office in 1937. 2Dr. Köhler was in the mayor's office only until 1941 when he was called into the Wehrmacht. His duties were performed by deputy Franz Keil during his absence. Despite party membership, Dr. Köhler is said not to have been a fanatical Nazi, but rather a respectable mayor. 3Dr. König and Jakob Fleck were each provisionally appointed mayor after the Americans marched in 1945. Since 1924, beginning with Karl Schiffers's time in office, the office of mayor has been executed by a professional mayor. Among all the mayors, Wilhelm Höhn, Karl Schiffers and Wilhelm Metzendorf stand out as ones who decisively promoted the town. Coat of arms The town's arms are charged with the Lion of Hesse above the parting, striped as always horizontally in silver and red, but in these arms also holding a golden-hilted, silver-bladed sword in his right paw and wearing a golden crown. The part of the field below the parting at the fess line is itself parted per pale (vertically down the middle). On the dexter side (armsbearer's right, viewer's left) is the Lorsch Abbey's cross pattée fitchy (that is, cross with “flattened” ends to three of the arms, and a point on the bottom one) on a silver field. On the sinister side (armsbearer's left, viewer's right) is the silver six-spoked wheel of Mainz on a red field. The arms, bestowed on the town on 30 August 1913 by Grand Duke Ernest Louis of Hesse, symbolize the town's