Rovaniemi commissions portraits of key officials for up to €35,000

The city of Rovaniemi will commission portraits of its former mayors and council chairs dating back to 2006, with an estimated total cost of up to €35,000, reports Finnish broadcaster Yle.

The decision, made unanimously by the city board on Monday, marks a shift from previous practice, where only city council chairs received official portraits. Now, seven individuals—including three mayors and four council or board chairs—will be immortalised in either painted or photographic form. Each portrait is budgeted at approximately €5,000.

The initiative coincides with the 20th anniversary of the unified Rovaniemi municipality, formed in 2006 when the former city and rural municipality merged. The portraits will be displayed in the newly reopened city hall, serving as a visual record of the city’s leadership history.

Among those to be portrayed is outgoing mayor Ulla-Kirsikka Vainio, who will transition to regional director of Päijät-Häme in early summer. Others include long-serving council chair Heikki Autto (National Coalition Party), who led the council for 16 years until spring 2025, and former mayors Mauri Gardin and Esko Lotvonen.

Originally proposed as oil paintings, the final format will be left to each subject’s discretion, following an amendment to the initial plan. The city’s personnel and administration director, Antti Määtä, noted that while Rovaniemi previously commissioned portraits only for council chairs—such as Juhani Juuruspolvi and Maarit Airaksinen in 2012—this expansion reflects a broader recognition of municipal leadership.

First deputy chair of the city board, Kimmo Niukkanen, suggested the project could also support Lapland University’s Faculty of Art and Design. The procurement will proceed as an administrative decision without further board approval.