– I saw that Sp had a different choice of direction than what I could further support, so I opted out, says Kari Heggelund. Until the election in the autumn, he is an independent mayor. A fierce debate has blown Sp in Åsnes to smithereens. What was the winning team after the 2019 election has been disbanded. The party went to the polls to change the school structure in the municipality. But when the proposal was to go from four to two schools, things turned around. Not in the municipal council, where a large majority agreed to close down two schools and rather build a whole new large school in the municipal center Flisa. Most SP representatives also voted for it. But in the party team, in local media and in social media, there has been a lot of opposition and criticism. – At times it has been tough to stand in, especially because it is difficult to defend against part of the attack. But I stood as mayor for SP because the party takes the district seriously, says Heggelund. She adds that she still supports several parts of her party’s policies. – But in order to get the municipal finances in order and to be able to provide the residents with good services, we sometimes have to go against the ideology and the party programme. SHOULD BE PUT DOWN: Sønsterud school has 135 pupils today. Nevertheless, it will be put down from Photo: Aleksandr Nedbaev / news Success in 2019 The 2019 election was a resounding success for the Center Party. Today, the party is with the mayor in 128 of the municipalities in the country. The Center Party also has the county mayor in three of the counties. But now things may look dark for several of them. In Åsnes, the party went from 17 to 40 percent and increased from 4 to 9 representatives in the municipal council at the previous election. And Kari Heggelund, who was at the top of the list, lost many votes. But in the autumn, the party group in the municipal council will look completely different. Two party members in the municipal council have done as Heggelund did and resigned from Sp. In the autumn, all three will be on a new list, Samlingslista in Åsnes. Together with people who have left Ap. – At first I thought about getting out of politics altogether. But I will not shirk my responsibility. Being on such a new list seemed interesting. But here she is not running as a mayoral candidate, but another former mayor from Ap, Frank Bjørneseth, is. More opt out Kari Heggelund is not the only mayor who has left the Center Party. The SP mayors in Os municipality in Innlandet and Melhus municipality in Trøndelag have also resigned from the party. Runa Finborud in Os because of a local school dispute, Jorid Jagtøyen in Melhus because she lost the local nomination battle in the Melhus Center Party. Jagtøyen has later been elected mayoral candidate for Melhuslista. She thus becomes a competitor to the Center Party in the battle to get the mayor in Melhus municipality after the election this autumn. In the national polls, the Center Party has plummeted after the party came into government. The question now is what will be the verdict of the voters after four years of power and responsibility in local politics. Sky-high electricity prices, more expensive food, unpopular tax proposals and fuel costing over NOK 20 a liter have helped to create dissatisfied voters. A review carried out by news shows that the Center Party has a good chance of retaining the mayor in around 65 of the municipalities they have today. In the rest of the municipalities, it is completely open what will happen or there is a great risk that the mayor will be lost. In the red municipalities, there is a risk that the Center Party will lose the mayoral seat in the election. In the green municipalities, there is a good chance that they will win. The yellow ones have been SP municipalities, but the mayors have signed out of the party. You can see the full overview and find your municipality further down in the case. The knife at the throat In the election in September, many of the Center Party’s mayors will sit for the exam. One of them is Jan Ove Tryggestad in Stranda municipality in Møre og Romsdal. He is fully aware that he has a knife to his throat. – If we don’t manage to turn this around, many mayors will have to find something else to do. That also applies to me. But I want to fight and I hope others will too. The SP mayor in Stranda, Jan Ove Tryggestad (left) and SP veteran Arne Sandnes are excited about what will happen in the municipal elections in September. Photo: Trond Vestre / news Electoral researcher Johannes Bergh at the Institute for Social Research believes that the election in September will be very important for the Center Party, which has many mayors that the party wishes to keep. But it is not a matter of course that poor support nationally results in poor elections in the individual municipalities. The Center Party has the mayor in many small municipalities in the country where local politics live a life of their own. And there, local conditions can have a big impact on what the voters want. – The Center Party can slow down the decline by running a good election campaign locally and focusing on local issues, says Bergh. He thinks it can take attention away from the national issues where the government receives a lot of criticism. Electoral researcher Johannes Bergh believes that the local election campaign can slow down the decline of the Center Party. Photo: Siri Vålberg Saugstad / news – Sit deep The local elections until the autumn can be decisive for the way forward for the Center Party. One of the tense moments is whether a bad election and the loss of many mayors will lead to demands that the Center Party must leave the government. But election researcher Johannes Bergh believes it will be difficult for the Center Party to leave the government. – If they lose many mayors and make a very bad choice, there may be discussions about government cooperation. But it’s probably far down the line. He points out that for the Center Party this has been a prestigious project, and that it will probably take some time before they reassess the government cooperation. LAST FLIGHT: In June, the last surveillance plane takes off from Andøya airport. Sp promised to get the plane back here. But that hasn’t happened, the airport is at Evenes in Harstad. Photo: Philip Linder, Forsvaret Didn’t get an air station From Åsnes in Inlandet to Andøy in Nordland, it is close to 1,500 kilometers. A long road culturally, but the problem is the same: Can the Center Party manage to retain power? Because here, the Center Party promised both in the previous Storting election and in the municipal election in 2019, to ensure that there would be four surveillance planes at the military air station, if they came into government. The center party flew high and got a clear majority and went from 2 to 14 representatives in the municipal council in 2019. But today the airport is on Evenes, not on Andøya. And in June, Andøya airport will be shut down completely. – It is clear that the result for the autumn will be affected by the extent to which the promise has been fulfilled or not, says mayor Knut Nordmo. From 2016, when the decision was made, and until today, the population in Andøy has decreased by 500 people – that’s almost 10 percent of the 5,000 people who live there. The mayor has spent much of his time working to ensure that what was promised would be fulfilled. It has been demanding. Nevertheless, he is at the top for a new term. – The municipal economy has become much worse when the population has decreased. Acquiring new business is the most important thing in the coming years, says Knut Nordmo. FLYING ARGUMENT: A Bell helicopter from Bardufoss over Lofoten in 1996. Photo: Aleksander Nordahl / NTB Valskred in Bardufoss A good five hours’ drive further east and inland lies another defense municipality where the Center Party’s power is at stake. Sp promised that the helicopter that had been moved from Bardufoss to Rygge would return to Bardufoss. The party got 46.6 per cent during the local elections. But the government has not implemented this either. Mayor Bengt Magne Luneng tells news that the helicopter case will clearly affect the election results in the municipality. – The defense means a lot to many who live here. So many are probably disappointed that nothing has happened in the helicopter case. Luneng himself says that he has not given up on the matter, he still believes that Bardufoss will get more of the helicopters that are now stationed at Rygge. OFFICERS WHERE PEOPLE LIVE: Here is candidate for mayor Einar Toverud and number two on the new SP list in Åsnes, Ingrid Folkvord Mehl. They go to the polls to have services where people live. And they believe in increasing the population in Åsnes and thus increasing income. But they know that the adversity the SP is experiencing nationally can also happen to them. Photo: Aleksandr Nedbaev / news Close down a large school Back to Åsnes in Inlandet. Sønsterud is one of the schools in Åsnes to be closed down. Not exactly a small village school. It currently has 135 students. Einar Toverud and Ingrid Folkvord Mehl from Sp were the two who voted against the closure in the municipal council. Both have children who go to school and now Toverud is a mayoral candidate. He thinks it is good that Kari Heggelund and those who support her are out of the party. – Heggelund has a different set of values than we do. And it is not right from a societal perspective to close such a large school. The costs for the village will be too great. If everything goes according to plan, the construction of a new, large primary school in the municipal center Flisa will start in the summer. Toverud and Mehl answer a little evasively when asked if they want to address the school issue if they are in position for the autumn. – The decision has been made. But if there is a majority to take up the case again in the next period, then we have to look at it, says Toverud. Kari Heggelund is no longer a politician for the Center Party. Photo: Aleksandr Baev / news Safe in the decision But for now, Kari Heggelund rules in Åsnes municipality. She is confident that the school decision was the right one, because fewer and fewer children are being born and because the municipality has major challenges. It is one of two in Innlandet that is on the Robek list. And more than 40 per cent of those of working age receive benefits from NAV. The new Samlingslista in Åsnes will initially be voted on to ensure a good municipal economy. So that they can afford to do what is needed to give people good offers. – Among other things, we must have money to invest in health and social work in schools. It is really needed to prevent more people ending up outside school and working life. Kari Heggelund wins. Her er det helt åpent eller risikoen for tap av ordføreren er stor Møre og RomsdalØrstaStrandaHustadvikaSurnadalVolda VestlandGulenStrynSunnfjordSogndalAurlandBømloVaksdalOsterøyAlver RogalandLundRandaberg AgderBirkenesHægebostad TelemarkKragerøDrangedalSeljordKviteseidSiljan ØstfoldIndre ØstfoldHaldenMarkerSkiptvet AkershusFrognAurskog-HølandEnebakkEidsvoldHurdal BuskerudØvre EikerKongsberg InnlandetGjøvikNord-OdalLomAlvdalØystre SlidreØstre TotenNord-AurdalStor-ElvdalNordre LandSelTrysil Os og Åsnes har vært kommuner med Sp-ordfører, men ordførerne has opted out of the party TrøndelagIndre FosenOppdalOrklandHeim Melhus has been a municipality with an SP mayor, but the mayor has opted out of the party NordlandAndøyBrønnøyFauskeSørfoldHamarøySortlandVåganVestvågøyHadselSaltdalDønna TromsLyngenSenjaMålselv FinnmarkBåtsfjord Here the chances are good that the Center Party will keep the mayor Møre and RomsdalGjemnesTingvollvenSmøla In addition, the party has good chances in Haram is en ny kommune fra 1.januar 2024 VestlandGloppenLusterSolundFjalerEidfjordEtne RogalandVindafjordBoknSaudaSuldalHjelmelandBjerkrheim AgderÅmli TelemarkVinjeTokkeMidt-Telemark ØstfoldRakkestadAremarkVåler BuskerudSigdalModumRollagFlesbergHemsedal InnlandetGausdalLesjaSør-AurdalVestre SlidreTynsetEtnedalSkjåkSør-FronLøten TrøndelagRindalMidtre GauldalHøylandetTydalFlatangerOverhallaHøylandetGrongInderøyVerdalSteinkjerLevangerStjørdalSnåsa NordlandSømnaBeiarnHemnesØksnesFlakstadHattfjelldalGraneAlstadhaugVefsn TromsSalangenGratangenBardu
ttn-69
The Center Party may lose almost half of its mayors – Langlesing from Innlandet
