– It is perhaps one of the wildest things I have heard when it comes to how politicians come up with solutions to be able to enrich themselves, says political commentator, Trond Birkedal. A majority in the chairmanship in Karmøy recently voted to create a new political position and buy a person free 50 percent. The proposal from the majority also states that it is the Labor Party that will be allocated the resource. And it is most likely the former Ap mayor, Jarle Nilsen, who is intended for the job. Trond Birkedal, political commentator. Photo: Elise Pedersen / news NOK 590,000 has been set aside for this in next year’s budget. – It is problematic because people will think that this has only been done so that Jarle Nilsen can make a living. When he doesn’t become mayor again, it’s as if his political friends will take care of him, says Birkedal. Jarle Nilsen (Ap) believes the role is important. – This is not to enrich oneself in any way. This should benefit the residents and the business community and help develop the entire Haugaland region, says Nilsen. Jarle Nilsen (Ap) at a meeting of the chairmanship. To the right sits deputy mayor May Synnøve Rygh (KrF). Photo: Marthe Synnøve Johannessen / news – Bad advertising for the municipality But Trond Birkedal thinks it sends a bad signal. – People will think that this has only been done so that Jarle Nilsen can make a living. When he doesn’t become mayor again, his political friends will, as it were, take care of him. And that puts Karmøy in a special situation, because it appears very unprofessional. It is bad advertising for the municipality, he believes. But not just for the municipality. Birkedal also believes that it is special that the Labor Party chose to prioritize as they did in the negotiations. – The Labor Party has not prioritized more money for nursing homes, schools or more teachers. What was most important for Ap, which ensured that a solution was found here, was simply that they managed to get a position for their former mayor. And it is perhaps one of the worst judgments on how the politicians flour their own cake, says Birkedal. Nilsen, for his part, thinks the position is a good investment: – All the priorities we make politically are compared to nursing home places, the number of teachers in the school and not least the number of street lights. But we have limited funds and then it is important to distribute those funds in a good way. This is a matter the cooperation parties were in complete agreement about, he says. The opposition, on the other hand. The opposition reacts – We strongly disagree with this. This is the Labor Party’s way of continuing to hold power, says Rune Midtun. He was the Progress Party’s mayoral candidate in Karmøy. The party received the most votes at the election last autumn. But they did not get the power, even though they made many attempts. Karmøy was among the last municipalities in the country to find out who would govern the municipality after the election this autumn. Rune Midtun was a mayoral candidate for the FRP in Karmøy. Photo: Marthe Synnøve Johannessen / news It took four weeks before the Socialist Left Party, the Labor Party, the Center Party, the Left and the Right finally came together. The former Ap mayor Jarle Nilsen had then agreed to pass the mayoral chain on to Høgre. KrF got the deputy mayor. But now it appears that Ap will still have an important role in the political management of the municipality. – We see this as unfortunate political support for Ap. Nobody has asked for this, says Midtun. An important part of the negotiations According to the recent deputy mayor from KrF, May Synnøve Rygh, it was Ap who came up with the proposal themselves when they were negotiating a political collaboration. May Synnøve Rygh is deputy mayor in Karmøy. Photo: Marthe Synnøve Johannessen / news – This was Ap’s most important issue, in any case one of the most important issues in the negotiations after the election, says May Synnøve Rygh. – Was it the case that they did not want to participate in the collaboration, if this was not fulfilled? – That’s how we interpreted it, yes, says the deputy mayor. Nilsen, for his part, says that this position came up as part of the negotiations and that there were several parties that recorded a need for a greater political resource. – Then it was quite natural that the Labor Party, which is the largest in the cooperation coalition, was given the opportunity to take up that position, he says. The deputy mayor gets half his salary Karmøy is a municipality with over 40,000 inhabitants. Rygh says that the municipality spends little money on political resources in relation to its size. It is only the mayor who receives 100 per cent compensation, he himself receives 50 per cent. – In the previous municipal council period, there was a proposal to increase the remuneration for the deputy mayor. Because in practice the deputy mayor worked at least as much as the mayor, but for half the salary. – But couldn’t they also spend money on it? – Yes, you can say that. But now it was the case that this was Ap’s most important issue in the negotiations. Then we accommodated it, four weeks overtime, says Rygh.
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Will spend 600,000 for the old mayor to get his own position in the municipality – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
