Kärkölä transitions from mayoral model to municipal director system in Finland

The municipality of Kärkölä in Päijät-Häme will make history next July by transitioning from a mayoral model back to a municipal director system. This move is significant as no Finnish municipality has previously opted to abandon a mayoral model once implemented.

Kärkölä, with a population of just over 4,000, adopted the mayoral system in 2018, appointing Markku Koskinen from the non-affiliated Kärkölä group as its mayor. He was re-elected when the current council was chosen in the 2021 local elections. The governance in Kärkölä has been largely controlled by Koskinen and the municipal secretary, Jouni Nieminen, a former council member from the Kärkölä group. However, this power dynamic is beginning to change.

On Monday, the municipal council amended its administrative rules, formalizing the decision made in February to abandon the mayoral system. In this arrangement, the mayor, elected by the public, also holds the role of chairperson for the municipal board. The municipal secretary serves as the top official.

The council has also decided to abolish the municipal secretary position and create a new administrative director role. This sparked some controversy, particularly among council members, with some questioning the necessity of the changes and suggesting that the shift may not align with previously established guidelines.

The council’s decision included opening applications for the administrative director position, which has stirred further debate within the community and online, particularly regarding the costs associated with hiring a new municipal director. Koskinen, currently the lowest-paid mayor in Finland, expressed his concerns over the council’s decisions on social media, warning against potential illegal actions tied to the changes.

The implications of this shift in governance are significant, and how the transition will unfold remains to be seen.