Soite council votes to dismiss executive board leadership amid budget deficit in Central Ostrobothnia

The regional council of Central Ostrobothnia’s welfare area, known as Soite, has voted to dismiss its executive board leadership with a tally of 34 to 23. The vote primarily concerned the position of Sari Innanen (Centre Party), chairperson of the executive board, although legally the entire leadership was under scrutiny. The motion presented was from a temporary committee, suggesting that the council declare the executive leadership to have lost its confidence and to dismiss them immediately during the session.

There was extensive debate both for and against the dismissal, with Virpi Ali-Haapala (Christian Democrats), a member of the temporary committee, expressing that not enough parties were heard and questioning the committee’s impartiality. She felt that the committee was biased, as some members may have formed opinions prior to the discussions and claimed that positive actions regarding the board chair were downplayed.

Other councilors acknowledged Innanen’s education and experience, noting that such capabilities are not common in every region. Marlen Timonen suggested that the situation stemmed from an internal dispute within the Centre Party, which may have affected Innanen as she was perceived to be acting against party rules.

Ultimately, the council’s decision to remove Innanen comes after a significant budget deficit was revealed, prompting the executive board to initiate corrective actions. This led to the resignation of the welfare area’s director, Minna Korkiakoski-Västi, citing lack of trust. The committee criticized Innanen’s leadership skills, indicating that her communication with political groups was ineffective and that decisions were rushed without ample political engagement.