– It is important to me that a gondola is not built. I can’t see what value we can get back in exchange for the values we give away. The gaze is fixed and determined. The words that come are clear. Ingvild Molvær De Iacovo has been a prominent voice in the fight against the planned gondola from Langevåg up to Sulafjellet. The gondola will bring more tourists. It will speed up trade. And more trade means more jobs. This is a popular hiking area with a fantastic view over the whole of Sunnmøre. But the opponents fear that the gondola will destroy the mountain as a hiking area. And the gondola will go over the houses and homes of people who live in Langevåg. It creates commitment. And anger. Several homeowners in Langevåg have expressed their opposition to the construction of a gondola lift. Photo: Trond Vestre / news news has asked the public what they wonder about elections and politics. Several hundred questions have been received. One of the questions concerns the gondola in Sula: “Can your party guarantee 100% that all your elected politicians, including deputy representatives, will vote AGAINST all parts of the Sula Gondola project?” Splitting the local community It is not just on Sunnmøre that plans for a gondola create conflicts. In Voss in Vestland county, the homeowners had the gondola traffic right over them and went to court. The case went all the way to the High Court, where the homeowners received compensation. In Odda in Vestland county, the plans to build a gondola up to the mountain Rossnos created a divided local community. A majority of the politicians in the county committee in Vestland said yes to the gondola, but the State Governor put his foot down. – There should be some temperature The dispute over the gondolas is a classic example of an issue that mobilizes voters. Conflicts are good because you get commitment and a clear position, says election researcher Bjarte Folkestad. But it can quickly become a problem if a conflict issue becomes very dominant. Folkestad points out that the politicians will work on many other issues over the next four years. And the dispute about one issue can make it more difficult to agree on other issues. – It’s a bit like boiling potatoes. It should not boil, but the temperature must not be too low either. Electoral researcher Bjarte Folkestad at the University of Volda believes that the litigation is positive, but it can also create problems. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news In Sula, the temperature is at the boiling point. Ingvild Molvær De Iacovo is also on the list for the Labor Party in Sula. Her party is critical of the gondola. The first four on the list say no. For her herself, it is out of the question to answer anything other than no. But she feels the pressure now. This has become the big issue in the election campaign. – The commitment is extremely high. When we stand, people say that it is this issue that determines what they will vote for. Ingvild Molvær De Iacovo (Ap) has distinguished himself as an opponent of the gondola plans. Photo: Trond Vestre / news Important for the future It is the investor Knut Flakk who wants to build a gondola up to the top of the mountain. He has made it clear that the future of the shops will depend on more people coming to shop. Therefore, he wants more tourists. And the gondola will contribute to that. There are many local people who support the plans. Jan Arve Sletta, who is active in Høgre, is at the head of a Facebook page that welcomes the gondola. And Sletta has no doubt that there is a need for such a gondola. He says a clear yes. – I want to develop the center of Langevåg. It is important for the whole village that we get more jobs here. Jan Arve Sletta (H) believes a gondola will speed up business in Langevåg. Photo: Trond Vestre / news Mobilization Delete also notices the pressure. And now it is being mobilized on both sides. It is important to get people into the municipal council who agree with the view you have. One way to do this is to give an additional vote to politicians you like. You can do that with politicians from the party you vote for, but you can also get politicians from other parties. This will probably happen on a large scale when the voters in Sula go to vote. – There are hard fronts, yes. There is no doubt about it. So we also encourage people to do it, says Sletta. Will not bind the politicians The State Administrator has been critical of the gondola plans in Sula and has come up with several objections. An adjusted plan is now being put out for consultation. SV and Venstre have signaled that they say no to the gondola. Ap is critical, but wants to have the matter resolved. The other parties are basically positive about the plans. news has asked the four largest parties if they want to bind their politicians to a position. Frp and Sulalista will nominate their politicians completely freely. Nor does Høgre want to bind his people. The tension is what the Labor Party will do. Mayor Jim-Arve Røssevoll (Ap) believes the gondola plans break with the party’s core values and with some of the points in the programme. But tying someone down now is not relevant. – We are not in the habit of binding the group. If that is to happen in this case, the new municipal board group must take a decision. Mayor Jim-Arve Røssevoll (Ap) believes the gondola plans violate some of the points in the party programme. Photo: Trond Vestre / news
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Plans for a gondola up to Sulafjellet mobilize voters in Sula – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
