Marius Nilsen shouted so long and looked violently at the department heads in Gamvik that he received a written warning against him. One year after the raucous meeting, the report from the lawyers is ready. It says that the crisis in the Finnmark municipality is so deep that they cannot move forward without professional help from outside. They place the main responsibility on municipal director Marius Nilsen. And he has to go, says SV. – I personally think the criticism is so strong that the municipal council must make a choice as early as September 18 about the employment of the municipal director, says Alf Normann Hansen to news. Hansen is a former mayor and now group leader for SV. He is on holiday and has skimmed the report. Municipal director Marius Nilsen states that he has received and read the report that was commissioned. – There are some points in this that actualize remarks from my side, writes Nilsen in a text message. Marius Nilsen will take this up directly with the municipal council, and does not wish to comment on the matter further in the media. Alf Normann Hansen was the mayor who was unable to stop Marius Nilsen’s attack on the bosses in Gamvik. Hansen now believes that Nilsen cannot continue in his job as municipal director. Photo: EILIF ASLAKSEN / news Conflicts for years Gamvik municipality has been characterized by a very high level of conflict for many years. A number of municipal directors have quit after a relatively short time in the job. A few days ago, the report came out which passes a harsh judgment on the current CEO. Marius Nilsen has now been appointed as municipal director. He was still a politician for the Center Party when he launched strong verbal attacks on the management of the municipality. Several of the department heads were “scolded in the worst way” by Marius Nilsen, according to the then municipal director Jan Magne Stensrud. He wrote a letter of concern to the mayor about the matter. Stensrud demanded a guarantee that it was safe to go to work before anyone from the management would again attend political meetings. Scolded them – and became boss The department heads in the municipality were distraught when Nilsen changed roles last autumn. The politician became their immediate boss as municipal director. Four of them signed a formal warning against Nilsen. There are two lawyers from KS who have now submitted a report on, among other things, this notice. The conclusion casts serious doubt on Nilsen’s ability to lead the municipality. The notice applies to a board meeting on 22 August. The report states that the mayor tried to stop the abuse from Nilsen – without success. “Alf, you can just stop clubbing. I’m not going to stop,” said Nilsen, according to the witnesses who have explained themselves to the lawyers. Nilsen himself has confirmed that he did not allow himself to be stopped, but blames it on poor meeting management. Thus, he acknowledges that the employees were exposed to unacceptable behaviour, but does not take any responsibility for it himself, write the lawyers. They believe the behavior gives rise to “several criticism”. It is the municipal council and not individual politicians who are the employer, and that responsibility must be exercised in an orderly manner, they point out. Never seen anything so intense The report also mentions an incident during a meeting on 30 August. Municipal director Stensrud had then resigned. At one point, Nilsen asked that Stensrud join him in the hallway for a chat. Eventually, more people joined. “This went on so loudly, and over such a long time, that the finance employees were asked to go home. We find grounds to point in particular to Nilsen’s role and behavior in this situation,” write the lawyers. To the investigators, several have expressed that it was unpleasant. An employee of the State Administrator was also present. He told the investigators that he had “never experienced such an acrimonious atmosphere among politicians. He has worked in political organizations for twelve years, but has never experienced anything like this. He was put out and shocked by what he witnessed.” The lawyers believe that the two meetings taken together are so destructive to the working environment that they constitute an objectionable relationship under the Working Environment Act. Øyvind Korsberg, Tor Arne Solvoll and Jan Magne Kåsa Stensrud all had short terms as councilors in Gamvik, where the level of conflict has been high for many years. Photo: news and PRIVAT Have not followed up The lawyers are critical that the municipal council chose to appoint Marius Nilsen as municipal director as long as there was a warning against him as a politician. They believe that neither Nilsen himself nor the municipality has otherwise done anything to secure the employees after they got a boss they feared: “Marius Nilsen believes the administration works well under his leadership. He appears to be overly confident in his role, and seems to reflect little on the administration’s experiences after they reported him. We do not perceive that he has conducted interviews, or otherwise reassured the employees, after he was appointed.” According to the Working Environment Act, this is also an objectionable situation, the lawyers believe. They also react to the fact that Nilsen has appeared in the media as an energetic man who is cleaning up the mess of his predecessors. There is no evidence for this, they write. The criticism from the lawyers also affects today’s mayor Ragnhild Vassvik. “Vassvik participated in both chairmanship meetings without dissociating himself from Nilsen’s conduct”, they point out. Vassvik was part of the majority who wanted Nilsen as municipal director. news has offered Vassvik to comment on this matter, but she declines. Mayor Ragnhild Vassvik is silent about the report, which also criticizes her. Photo: Jan Harald Tomassen Must not become a permanent employee Nilsen was constituted as a councillor, and has appeared as a candidate to take the job on a permanent basis. He has applied for the same job twice before without succeeding. Alf Normann Hansen believes he must not get the job now in any case. – In light of the report, and also that he, as a former candidate, dropped out early in the hiring process, I don’t see it as very relevant. He hopes mayor Ragnhild Vassvik and the majority agree. – They must also show responsibility and take employer responsibility very seriously. During Nilsen’s time as CEO, two of the four whistle-blowers and one financial advisor have left. The lawyers’ proposal for measures in Gamvik municipality We recommend that the municipality obtains external assistance to ensure better interaction between politics and administration, and to restore trust both ways. An important focus is competence, role clarity, competence, good facilitation for political discussion on the part of the administration and a political debate within the framework of democracy, and the ethical guidelines the municipality itself has adopted. In the same way, we recommend that work is done to ensure a broad anchoring so that the ethical guidelines are adhered to at all levels in the organisation, also in the interaction between politics and administration. The municipality should seek assistance from someone who knows the municipal sector well. We recommend that the municipality brings in a supervisor, for example from KS Konsulent and/or from the KS regional office. We believe that this is work that must take some time. It is important that both the administrative management group and the political level have confidence in the process. We suggest that the municipality works actively to ensure that the administration’s employees have a sound psychosocial working environment. The primary work is done internally, and anchoring must be ensured in both politics and administration. The position of municipal director must be advertised externally. We recommend that an external recruitment agency is used to ensure a broad and thorough process that inspires trust. Cross-party agreement on the next municipal director should be sought in order to improve the climate of communication and interaction between politics and administration, and between the political wings. The municipal board should also professionalize the employer follow-up of the municipal director. We recommend that the municipality carries out training for politicians and employees on freedom of expression and reporting. The report is signed by the lawyers Cecilie R. Sæther and Solfrid Vaage Haukaas Published 11.09.2024, at 07.18 Updated 11.09.2024, at 11.06
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Strong criticism of Marius Nilsen – news Troms and Finnmark
