Kai Mykkänen appointed new city manager of Espoo, Finland

Kai Mykkänen has been appointed as the new city manager of Espoo, Finland’s second-largest city, a position of national significance. Today, the Espoo city council voted to select the new city leader. In the first round of voting, two candidates emerged: Tuula Antola with 25 votes and Kai Mykkänen with 32 votes. In a subsequent round, Mykkänen secured 44 votes against Antola’s 31, resulting in his victory.

Initially, six candidates met the eligibility criteria: Tuula Antola, director of the Omnia education consortium; Erkki Eerola, municipal manager of Vihd; Mervi Heinaro, director of vitality in Espoo; Mervi Katainen, chair of the city council; Leila Lehtinen, CEO of consulting firm Excellence Garden; and environmental and climate minister Kai Mykkänen.

During a recent interview, Mykkänen emphasized his commitment to prioritizing children and youth as part of his agenda as city manager. The Espoo city council consists of 75 members, all of whom were present during the voting session. The largest political group is the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) with 29 representatives, followed by the Green League with 14, and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as the third largest.

Mykkänen’s predecessor, Jukka Mäkelä, is set to retire at the end of January after a long tenure. He is known for being one of the highest-paid municipal managers in Finland, earning over €18,000 monthly, while Mykkänen currently earns approximately €15,500 as a minister. The new city manager will begin work in January.