– The most surprising thing in the nomination process so far is the absence of strong candidates, and not least that many candidates have said that they do not want to become mayor. So says political commentator in Adresseavisen, Siv Sandvik. In 2023, Rita Ottervik will have been mayor for 20 years. Then it’s over. She does not want to continue, and now the party is looking for her replacement. But who it will be seems wide open right now. – There are no one I dare say are the hottest candidates. That’s how open it is. Political commentator in Adresseavisen, Siv Sandvik, is surprised that the party does not have clearer candidates as the new mayor in Trondheim. Photo: Rune Petter Ness / Adresseavisen No after no There has also been no shortage of suggestions. Nevertheless, this whole bunch of obvious candidates have stated in the media that they do not want to become mayor: Tore O. Sandvik – county mayor in Trøndelag Karianne Tung – former parliamentary representative Roar Aas – group leader in Trondheim Ap Hanne Moe Bjørnbet – leader in Trondheim Ap Emil Raaen – former city council representative in Trondheim Trond Giske has also been mentioned as a possible candidate, but he too says he does not want to. – It is a long time until the election, the Labor Party must have that. At the same time, it is startling that after 20 years in power, there is not a single person representing the party at the town hall who appears to be a current mayoral candidate. That is unusual, says Sandvik. – Weak talent development – In a good world seen from Ap-eyes, there would have been lots of good people who positioned themselves openly or behind the scenes. Instead, we have a nomination committee that says they must search in every nook and cranny and with lights and lanterns. It testifies to a weak development of talent in the party. Sandvik believes that the nomination committee is starting to run out of time if they are to land a good enough candidate. – There is still a long time until the election, but if they choose someone who is not an active politician today and who does not know the party well, they must find a candidate who is able to gather and engage the party and with whom the voters will get to know. Then it’s not such a good time. Don’t stress August 25 is the deadline for the local associations in Trondheim to come up with current mayoral candidates for the nomination committee. The committee’s leader, Pål Sture Nilsen, is not stressed about landing who it will be. – We are more concerned with doing the process properly, than with life and death meeting a date. Nor will he write off the candidates who have stated that they are irrelevant. – So far, no one has turned down the nomination committee, we have only had it referred to via the media. We are at a point where we don’t need to have any concerns about whether the Labor Party will find the candidate best suited to stand for election. The nomination committee’s chairman, Pål Sture Nilsen. Photo: Ina Kollerud Pedersen Nilsen says that finding Ottervik’s successor is a big task, but that it is also an exciting process. – It is of course difficult, but at the same time it is also a great opportunity. Rita has been a prominent mayor, and that gives whoever takes over something to strive for. To Sandvik’s claim about weak talent development in the party, Sture Nilsen replies that he believes they have many good candidates. – Then we can always improve on talent development, we work on that every day. At the latest, in connection with changes in our city council group, we are promoting two young people with a minority background to leading positions. – Remarkable – Trondheim Ap has lost a striking number of talents and profiles in recent years. Many people talk about how internal conditions in Trondheim Ap make it unmotivating to tackle the task at hand. So says political commentator at news, Tone Sofie Aglen. She refers to, among other things, conflict between the mother party and AUF, personal conflicts and accusations of corruption. Aglen also believes that there has been silence around the process. – There are many names that have been speculated about, but no one we know of has signed up. It is remarkable. She also believes that Trondheim has always been an important city for the Labor Party, which makes it extra interesting. – Trondheim has been both a showcase and an important Ap bastion. After 20 years with the same mayor, one would expect that there were several potential successors. Especially because the red-green side has a solid upper hand in the capital of Trønder and Labor has a good chance of getting the mayor of Norway’s third largest city, one would think it was a role for which there was tough competition. Political commentator at news, Tone Sofie Aglen. Photo: news
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Rita Ottervik is stepping down as mayor of Trondheim in 2023 – The Labor Party is looking for a new candidate – news Trøndelag
