2,560 inhabitants live in the municipality of Vik on the south side of the Sognefjord. Just before the election campaign, the front is unusually steep in the tiny municipality. In a last manoeuvre, the largest opposition party, the Center Party, has turned to the State Administrator and asked for government intervention. In the letter, the party questions the administration’s competence and says bluntly that the Municipal Act is not being implemented in accordance with “the legislator’s intentions”. “Both on the political and administrative side, several individual incidents during the period have substantiated the Center Party’s doubts about the necessary competence”, write the party. The party uses words such as “state of emergency” about the situation in the municipality. “A series of breaches of the statutory requirements for both sequence, professional content and progress plans in relation to the municipality’s planning work causes the Center Party to be uneasy in relation to both capacity and administrative competence within the area of responsibility.” There are hard fronts between key people in Vik municipality these days. Photo: Vik municipality In addition, the party questions the competence of the mayor. “There are documented examples of the mayor announcing the political outcome of individual cases in the media, without the cases as a whole having been politically discussed”. Sogn Avis mentioned the case first. Mayoral candidate Eivind Helleland (Sp), who sits on the chairmanship, tells news that the frustration has built up over time. – The most serious thing is that we have a mayor who refuses to follow the law when it comes to our rights to get cases for ordinary democratic consideration. He points out that the party is a large minority in the municipality, with over a third in the chairmanship and the municipal council, and that it thus has the statutory right to put matters on the agenda. Eivind Helleland from the Center Party says the dissatisfaction has built up over time. Photo: Privat – We did not understand what this was about The Mayor of Vik, Roy Egil Stadheim (Ap), says he was not aware of the letter from the Center Party until he received the reply letter from the State Administrator. – I was a little shocked. He further says that they had to ask for the original letter from the Center Party, because a copy was not sent to the mayor and the administration. – We only get an answer from the State Administrator. We did not understand what this was about. He rejects all the debts and says there is nothing he recognizes. – They have been allowed to bring up political issues, of course. Politics is now such that there is a minority and a majority. He also says that he knows the rules of impartiality, and that there are no incidents for which he has a bad conscience. He calls the approach of the Center Party “ugly”. – Those who should not tolerate this criticism are the employees in the municipality. This is going way over the line. Roy Egil Stadheim is mayor of Vik municipality for the Labor Party. Photo: Noralv Pedersen / news Constituent councilor in Vik, Geir Svendsen, says there have been “frequent meetings” in the last week after the letter became known. – Employees in the municipality perceive this as an overstepping. We are defined as incompetent by the Vik Senterparti, and we react to that. He says employees have experienced the letter as “hurtful”. Constituent councillor, Geir Svendsen, calls the letter from the Center Party “hurtful” and a “trampling”. Photo: private The Center Party replies that “we have not pointed to a single person”, but to the political responsibility. – We feel that the mayor and the councilor here push the employees to lead, instead of saying that we have a challenge. It will be a complete derailment, says Helleland. The case has nevertheless led to internal strife in the Center Party. Olav Turvoll, who was mayor in Vik as late as 2019, is now resigning from the party after having been a member of the party for 40 years. – I don’t want to be a part of the madness anymore, he says to Sogn Avis, and elaborates: “I have resigned from the Center Party because I cannot be indirectly co-responsible for what happens in the Vik Center Party.” – Can’t think of anything similar. The Vik Center Party’s hope for government intervention is in any case emphatically rejected. Acting state administrator Gunnar Hæreid tells news that he has never received a similar request before. – I cannot think of anything similar during the 12 years I have been in the system. He adds that the municipal self-government is particularly strong and that the State Administrator cannot supervise something as general as someone’s “competence”. But: – If a possible lack of competence results in illegal decisions, then we can step in and check those decisions. Assistant state administrator, Gunnar Hæreid, has never come across a similar case during the 12 years he has worked here. Photo: Kaia Viki / news The conclusion in the letter is nevertheless not to be misunderstood. “The State Trustee cannot see that the conditions recorded in the letter from Vik Senterparti fell under any of the powers that the State Trustee has to supervise”. The Center Party in Vik will nevertheless proceed with the case and has asked for a meeting with the State Administrator. – We cannot have it so that it is the majority in the municipal council that will decide what kind of laws are suitable and what laws are not, says Helleland.
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Sp asks the state to intervene against the “state of emergency” in the municipality – news Vestland
