Akaa councillor could lose audit committee chairmanship over racist posts

Akaa municipal councillor Anton Murola could lose his chairmanship of the municipal audit committee over racist social media posts, Yle reports.

An initiative seeking the establishment of a temporary committee has been circulated by email among Akaa’s councillors. The committee would prepare a possible removal process.

The initiative says Murola no longer has the signatories’ confidence as chair of the audit committee. It accuses him of repeatedly using expressions on social media that are racist and degrading to human dignity.

Green Party councillor Laura Väisänen is the initiative’s first signatory. She does not currently want to comment or disclose how many councillors have signed it.

Murola previously told Yle that he uses sharp language but saw no problem with it as an elected official. He said his social media activity represented only himself, not his council group, party or Akaa. Yle was unable to reach him for comment on the initiative.

Under the Local Government Act, a council may remove the chair and deputy chair of the council or a body it has appointed during their term if they no longer have the council’s confidence. The decision applies to the chairing group as a whole.

The council can establish a temporary committee to prepare the matter. Its members must be councillors or deputy councillors.

Ninni Pehkonen of the Greens, the audit committee’s deputy chair, told Yle that she would recuse herself from handling the matter because the committee’s work would also concern her.

The audit committee assesses whether the municipality has met the operational and financial targets set by the council, whether its activities have been organised effectively and appropriately, and whether financial balancing measures have been implemented. It also monitors compliance with the obligation to declare positions of trust and submits an annual assessment report to the council.

The initiative has not yet been submitted to the city executive board. Akaa has 35 councillors, so the initiative would require the support of at least nine councillors.

The city executive board is due to meet on August 11, with the agenda scheduled for publication on Thursday.

Harri Rämö, leader of Akaa’s largest council group, the Social Democrats, said he planned to sign the initiative.

“For my part, trust has been lost. I strongly condemn this kind of writing,” Rämö told Yle.

Mia Joki, the Christian Democrats’ only councillor, said in an email that Murola had performed commendably in the council and as chair of the audit committee. She said she saw no reason to remove him from the position.

Heli Einola-Virtanen of the Finns Party, who leads the party’s council group and is the first deputy chair of the city executive board, said the group and the local party association’s board would meet on Thursday evening. The meeting is intended to discuss Murola’s actions and the initiative if it appears on the city executive board’s agenda.

A peaceful gathering in support of equality, titled “Stop racism and hate speech”, is also scheduled to take place at Toijala market square on August 22.