– It varies then. Some days it is very quiet and peaceful, and other days it is from early morning to late evening, says Knut Erik Engh. The Framsteg party mayor in Ulstein sits with the door to his office open. The calendar on the computer screen has some free hours this week, but mostly it is full. He is far from the best-paid mayor in the country. Of the 356 we have, he is number 106. But his party, which only has three mayors, is on average the absolute best paid mayors in the country. – I think we have the best mayors then, says Engh jokingly. – But no, I think perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the municipalities we have are relatively large. The smaller the municipality, the lower the salary of the mayors. But we are damn good mayors, he says and laughs again. The mayor says an important part of his job is not part of the timetable – taking the time to talk to those who live in the municipality who have something on their mind. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news Mayors in Norway are not paid by the hour. Reimbursement applies to the office as mayor, and it is something you have all the time, even outside working hours. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news Biggest is not first In the spring of 2023, news has gathered information about the remuneration, or salary, that mayors in all Norwegian municipalities receive. Among the ten best paid in the country, six are from the Labor Party. These sit in larger municipalities, but 151 mayors spread over the whole country drag down the average salary of Ap people. The Green Party has the lowest paid mayors of the major parties, but in return they only have one. Here the mayors are sorted by salary, from highest to lowest. You can search by party, municipality or name: Want to avoid the goat and the sack of oats There are no national guidelines for what politicians in the municipalities should serve. In practice, they decide this themselves. The vast majority of municipalities have linked the salary of the mayor to what the parliamentary representatives earn – either the same amount or a percentage of this. This means that the discussion of the salary is somewhat removed from the municipal boardroom. For some, the talk about pay can be uncomfortably close and personal, and feel a bit like “the goat and the bag of oats”, says Tone Sofie Aglen, who is a political commentator at news. Political commentator at news, Tone Sofie Aglen, thinks it is interesting what politicians collectively earn, as some local authorities also have remunerated board positions, which together can provide significantly higher salaries. – I think the vast majority of politicians actually wish to have as little attention as possible around their own salary. Both because it is unpleasant and because it is not exactly a win-win situation among voters to talk about politicians’ salaries, says Aglen. Nevertheless, she believes that most people see the career of a politician as demanding and heavy with responsibility and that one should be compensated for that. Nevertheless, many of the differences lie in the size of the municipality, economy and political tradition. – In some places, we hardly talk about wages and only adjust them every year, while there are municipalities where there is constant discussion about whether the wage level is too high or too low. There you can perhaps see a little more that it varies depending on who is actually in charge, says Aglen. I think the million salary is deserved The median salary in Norway is NOK 572,000. For mayors, it is NOK 957,900. The mayor of Ulstein, who is in 106th place on the list, earns 1,064,316 a year. – Is the million salary deserved for the job you have? – Yes, I actually think so. As a mayor, you have a major overall responsibility, for example for preparedness in the municipality. You have a sometimes heavy workload, for which you should have something to spare, says Engh. – And then there is also the fact that you are in a somewhat vulnerable position. People are interested in your privacy. – And then journalists who know your salary come and ask if you deserve it. – Yes, yes, but I think that’s perfectly fine, he says and laughs. The following day, the chairmanship in Ulstein will discuss a ten-year investment plan. It is a big deal for every municipality, but especially for one that is burdened with debt and has recently lost an important shipbuilding industry. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news Outside the office door there is a wooden box and a ballot box made of ashlar from 1903. Before, Engh thought that the box was only for the ballot box, but it is actually what used to be the entire municipal archive. – That says something about how complex the Norwegian municipality has become Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news So was it tacos or pizza, yes! The mayor’s club does not lie on the desk as a prop for the camera. A few days ago, Engh took in a nursery school who were arguing about whether tacos or pizza were best. After a quick vote, the mayor was able to hammer through a decision. What was decided is difficult to know, as the meeting was unlikely to be recorded. The mayor’s club in Ulstein contributed to so much. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news
ttn-69
Check how much the mayor in your municipality earns – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
