Last week, Sissel Knutsen Hegdal (H) said she would resign as mayor of Stavanger. The reason was that she had used the party’s money for her own consumption, something she told about herself in an interview with Stavanger Aftenblad. Høgre central supported her decision to resign, and on Thursday the local party said they did too. But Hegdal is still mayor. She must herself submit an application for exemption from office. She has not done that yet, but shortly after a crisis meeting on Thursday it was announced that she has resigned from the party. – Hegdal can choose not to resign. Did he say anything about it yesterday? – No. She didn’t say anything about it yesterday, and nothing was said about her wanting to opt out either. That’s what Hilde Karlsen, group leader in Stavanger Høgre, says in “Political Quarter” on Friday. – What do you think about the fact that she has chosen to resign from the party? It cannot have been quite such a pleasant experience on her part since she took that step. – I am very sorry that it is still like that. She is also happy with the party and has been for many years and has done a great job for the party. I think that the decision could not have been easy for her, says the group leader. The case against Sissel Knutsen Hegdal concerns the following transactions on 16 January 2023: Online shopping with Klarna. Incorrect use of the city council group’s card on four occasions on the same day. A total of NOK 8,813. 18 February 2023: Purchase of a plane ticket from Stavanger to Alicante. The reason for the purchase was that Sissel Knutsen Hegdal had to buy a new ticket in connection with Erna Solberg’s visit to Stavanger. The travel bill lacks documentation documenting that a new plane ticket purchased with the city council group’s payment card compensates for a private outlay for the original trip. A total of NOK 4,901. 21 April 2023: Flight ticket to Oslo without documentation of a work-related agreement in Oslo. A total of NOK 3,479. 4 May 2023: Withdrawal of cash without documentation. A total of NOK 5,000. 13 June 2023: The city council group’s card was used to pay for a gift to a party member, at the same time that a fundraiser had taken place via Spleis for the same gift. A total of NOK 3,900. 26–27 September 2023: Tickets to Utopia and purchase of eight festival passes. Five of the festival passes were for Conservative Party politicians and entourages and were approved, but the other three festival passes for family members were not. The amount to be repaid totals NOK 11,996. 9 September 2023: Dinner with the family at Restaurant Vaar as a conclusion to the election campaign. A total of NOK 7,500. 13 September 2023: Dinner at Restaurant Harry Pepper on election day with spouse and a couple of friends. A total of NOK 4,000. 18 September 2023: Purchase of a plane ticket from Oslo to Stavanger to a person with no formal connection to the Conservative Party. A total of NOK 1,559. All amounts have been refunded. In total, we are talking about NOK 51,148. Source: Press release from the Conservative Party Would ride out the storm Karlsen says the most important thing now is to create calm around the situation. – We must have a clarification for the residents of the city and for the plural constellation. We have to do politics again. Also the mayor, Sissel Knutsen Hegdal, who was sick, turned up for the crisis meeting on Thursday. Photo: Erlend Handeland Tuastad / news She says the local party would actually “ride out this storm”. – But when she chose to withdraw, we are forced to wait for that, says Karlsen. – Sad Party secretary in Høgre, Tom Erlend Skaug, says it is sad that Hegdal has resigned from the party. – She has been a member of the party and made a great effort for many years, so I find that regrettable, he says. Party secretary in Høgre, Tom Erlend Skaug. Photo: Christian Breidlid / news – Several sources say that at the meeting she said she had felt strong and undue pressure from you and Høgre central to withdraw. She also says that they have made claims that she is lying. Is that correct? – No, I don’t recognize myself in that, but there have been disagreements along the way, replies Skaug. He says the party has known about the matter since before the summer, and that they have always treated it seriously. – It was never a goal for Sissel Knutsen Hegdal to step down as mayor. According to Skaug, they looked at several possibilities at the start, including that Hegdal could take leave while the police looked into the case. – Then she went out herself and said she wanted to resign as mayor, and I took note of that. Losing the majority When Hegdal resigned from the party, Høgre, KrF, Venstre, Frp and the Pensioners’ Party also lost their majority in the municipality. – Now she sits temporarily as an independent representative. We just have to get together with the other majority parties and see how we are going to handle the situation. After all, she is still on sick leave, and then it is Høgre’s product that gets into the positions she has, says group leader Karlsen. Hegdal has been on sick leave recently. news has been in contact with her press contact, Trond Birkedal, on Friday morning. – I have nothing to report as of now, miscellaneous, he writes. Can’t rule anything out – It is difficult to see Sissel Knutsen Hegdal sitting as mayor as an independent. But this case has probably shown us that we should keep most alternatives open. So says Leif Tore Lindø, political commentator in Stavanger Aftenblad. He lists several possible scenarios going forward: She can remain in office as an independent candidate She can join another party She can apply for an exemption and get it She can apply for an exemption and not get it – We must be open to this case can even in the most inferior ways, says Lindø. Published 13.09.2024, at 08.01 Updated 13.09.2024, at 08.29
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Høgre was not informed of the mayor’s announcement in advance
