Torbergsen becomes new county council leader in Troms and Finnmark – takes over the job from Bjørn Inge Mo – news Troms and Finnmark

– When it is the case that Bjørn Inge Mo passed away so far too soon, then there is nothing that feels more meaningful than coming north and completing the job of dividing Troms and Finnmark, says Torbergsen. The new county council leader will therefore lead the job of dividing up the large county. – A good job has been done up front, and now it is necessary to finish the job. It must be done in a good way, so that Troms and Finnmark can continue to cooperate well and preserve the good friendship, she says. Division was approved by the Storting earlier this year, and the same applies to the large counties of Viken, Vestfold and Telemark. Torbergsen has been State Secretary to the Minister of Knowledge since last autumn. Before that, she was a political advisor for the county council in Troms and Finnmark. She is a qualified lecturer, and has previously worked as such in Tromsø municipality. She has also been leader of Troms AUF, and sat for eight years on the county council for the Labor Party in Troms. Taking over from Bjørn Inge Mo Earlier this summer, the high-profile Labor politician and county council leader in Troms and Finnmark county council died suddenly and unexpectedly of cardiac arrest. Bjørm Inge Mo was 54 years old. The Prime Minister, the Minister of Fisheries and the Sea and the President of the Sámi Parliament were among those who attended the funeral. – It was like something became very quiet the morning we received the sad news that Bjørn Inge Mo had fallen asleep, said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre at the funeral of Bjørn Inge Mo in Kåfjord church. In his speech, the Prime Minister emphasized the confidence the Labor Party had in Mo, his fight for the Sami and his solidarity and humanity. – We in the Labor Party mark that we have lost one of our most solid shop stewards. One that we liked to call a “boat from the north”. Mo had a long career in politics and was leader of the Troms Arbeiderparti from 2005 to 2014, and was a Sámi parliament representative from 2017. Mo was also mayor of Kåfjord municipality from 2003 to 2015. Think they have found the right person Torbergsen is originally from Skjervøy municipality. She will now apply for resignation from her work as state secretary. County mayor, Tarjei Jensen Bech (Ap), believes it was important to spend plenty of time to find the right candidate. – It has been important to find a candidate who is unifying and knows the county council in Troms and Finnmark, has parliamentary experience and is cooperation-oriented, has a burning heart for the north and who can complete the division of the county, he says. – I think Kristina Torbergsen has these qualities and makes her the right person to lead Troms and Finnmark. County mayor, Tarjei Jensen Bech (Ap), believes Torbergsen is the right person for the job. Photo: Laila Lanes / news



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