Padasjoki municipal director resigns to hike in Lapland

Juha Rehula, the municipal director of Padasjoki in southern Finland, has resigned from his position, he announced on Monday via his Facebook page, Yle reports.

Rehula, who began his term in 2023—first as interim director before being unanimously appointed permanent director in 2024—cited personal reasons for his departure. “I’m at a point in life where I want to see what comes next,” he told Yle, denying any external pressure. “No one is pushing me out.”

The 63-year-old, a former long-serving Centre Party MP who left parliament in 2019, described his tenure as a “three-year project” and insisted he leaves the municipality in stable financial shape. “The balance sheet is solid, the foundations are strong—Padasjoki will manage just fine,” he said.

His resignation takes effect after a two-month notice period. The municipal board will begin the search for a successor at its meeting next Monday. Rehula, who previously served as municipal director in Pukkila before taking the Padasjoki post, ruled out a return to politics—“I’ve promised my family that chapter is closed”—but left the door slightly ajar: “Unless someone secures serious campaign funding, maybe then.”

For now, his plans are simpler: hiking in Lapland this autumn and, as he put it, “finally setting my own calendar—whether it’s a car inspection or a haircut.”