Luhanga politician resigns from posts as eyesight worsens

Aki Virtaniemi is giving up all his elected and appointed posts in Luhanga because he is gradually losing his sight, he told Yle. The 56-year-old is deputy chair of the municipal executive board and a member of the municipal council.

Virtaniemi said his eye problems have worsened over time. He has undergone several operations, most recently two in 2024, when doctors told him there was little more they could do. Reading meeting documents has become difficult, he said, and he plans to leave politics and not stand for election again.

Luhanga municipal council chair Sakari Valvanne told Yle that Virtaniemi’s successor as deputy chair of the municipal executive board will be chosen by the council no later than November 16.

The announcement comes amid longstanding disagreements in Luhanga’s municipal politics. In February, four municipal employees reported harassment or inappropriate treatment at work. Municipal manager Tuomo Kärnä later received a written warning for inappropriate treatment. Virtaniemi led a working group that dealt with the case.

About two weeks ago, Virtaniemi proposed that the council consider dismissing Kärnä or transferring him to another role. The proposal was rejected by the municipal executive board in a 4-2 vote.

Virtaniemi has also received a reprimand from his National Coalition Party council group for sending unwanted sexual messages to several people in Luhanga in 2023. At least one recipient was a municipal employee. The municipal executive board closed its handling of the matter after finding that Virtaniemi had not sent unwanted messages to an employee during working hours.

Virtaniemi denied that the political disputes or harassment allegations were behind his decision to leave his posts.