Finland’s oldest municipal director at 70 leads Enontekiö on short-term contract

Finland’s oldest serving municipal director, Eero Ylitalo, 70, is leading the remote Arctic municipality of Enontekiö on a fixed-term contract after pushing for the role himself, Yle reports.

Finnish law bars anyone over 68 from holding a permanent municipal director position, forcing Ylitalo into temporary appointments. He argues the age limit should be scrapped to widen the pool of qualified candidates for leadership roles in local government.

Ylitalo first became a municipal director in his late 50s after years in local politics, including as chair of Pello’s municipal council. He later served as director in Kyyjärvi and his hometown of Pello before hitting the mandatory retirement age. Undeterred, he applied for a director post in Kyyjärvi at 68—only to be rejected without an interview.

“It feels absurd that a 69-year-old can’t run a municipality of 1,700 people, yet a 79-year-old can lead a city like Tampere,” he said, referencing former Tampere mayor Kalervo Kummola, who retired at that age.

When Enontekiö’s previous director resigned abruptly last year, Ylitalo volunteered to step in. Initially hired for six months, he was later unanimously selected for a three-year term. “I pushed myself forward, and it worked,” he admitted.

Ylitalo insists his age is an asset, not a liability, bringing experience and stability to a role notorious for high turnover in Lapland. Several local municipalities currently face leadership vacuums or instability.

A proposal by MP Pauli Kiuru (National Coalition Party) to remove the age cap stalled in committee and is unlikely to advance before the current parliamentary term ends. Ylitalo believes lifting the restriction would benefit smaller municipalities struggling to attract competent applicants, noting many retired directors still have the skills and motivation to lead.

“Municipal management is its own discipline,” he said. “I know plenty of peers my age with deep expertise who could still do the job well.”

He has committed to staying through three budget cycles if allowed, joking to local politicians: “You wouldn’t dare bully an old man.” Pressure on municipal directors has intensified amid shrinking populations and tighter budgets, he added, with some expecting “miracles” from leaders who may treat small municipalities as mere stepping stones.