Hilde Alice Vågslid proposed as Telemark deputy county mayor

Hilde Alice Vågslid has been proposed as Telemark’s new deputy county mayor and acting leader of the Labour Party’s county council group, NRK reported on Wednesday.

The proposal will be considered by Telemark Labour Party bodies on Sunday, which will also discuss new political leadership for the county council group following recent events.

The party said it had sought a solution that would provide stability, continuity and clear political leadership. Party leader Odin Adelsten Bohmann described Vågslid as an experienced and unifying politician with strong knowledge of the organisation and the work of the county council.

The party’s formal decisions will be made after Sunday’s meeting. The deputy county mayor is formally elected by the Telemark county council.

The statement does not say what will happen to Martine Tinderholt Øverland’s position on the county council.

Vågslid said she was prepared to take responsibility if the party gave her its confidence.

“This is not a situation anyone would have wanted, and I have great respect for the seriousness of what has happened,” she said. “If the party wants me to take on these duties, I am ready. My most important task will be to bring the team together and ensure that we can once again focus our efforts on politics and on what we want to achieve for Telemark.”

Bohmann said the party had a responsibility to its voters and would ensure that political work continued while addressing what had happened properly.