TRONDHEIM/OSLO (Dagbladet): – “A little respect”? I have very large honoring what Rita has done for Trondheim over 20 years. But I don’t know of any other organization of this size that has had the same leadership for so long. Now I think it’s best to open the windows and let the air out, Kent Ranum told Dagbladet.

The Conservative mayoral candidate boasts Labor Party’s Rita Ottervik, who has governed the city for 20 years. Now he will go anyway and the choice facing the people of Trondheim is stand-up comedian and business leader Kent or Ap’s Emil Raaen, former city director and consultant at PWC.

One argument for voting Conservative is to try something new after 20 years, according to the Conservative Party.

– “Damn” intensely

Kent Ranum does not have as much political experience as some of his colleagues, but he has served three terms on the city council from 2011 to the present. It’s been a steep learning curve since he accepted the task of taking over Rita a year ago.

– Why would a 47 year old man living a comfortable life with a good salary want to hurt himself to the point of wanting to become a full time politician?

– I’m not doing it for the money anyway, Kent laughs. This is a very different way to have fun. It has been intense and demanding over the past year, but very educational, Kent said and continued:

– I don’t know much about all the people who work around the clock in the municipality. In schools, kindergartens, the police, health services, substance abuse services and the many businesses that strive to make life better for us all. I’ve spent the last year getting to know who is wearing those shoes and where the pressure is.

Not “right wing politics”

Kent Ranum’s conclusion is that there is no pressure to cut property taxes or privatize elderly care or health and wellness centers in the city of Trondheim. A certain traditional problem of Høyre is simply a false respect for Trondheim, according to mayoral candidate Høyre. This also causes a reaction.

– Why should you vote for the Conservative Party when you don’t mean the Conservative Party?

– We mean heard! But the most important job today is elderly care, which cannot be solved by stopping competition or privatization. Trondheim has a very high sickness absence rate of over 12 percent in elderly care! We lag far behind other big cities in terms of school results. This is where we have to invest resources now, Ranum said.

– You can’t decide that people should get better, right?

– No, I didn’t say that either. However, unlike the Labor Party, we have a political aim of reducing sickness absence. We will do it with the right solution for Trondheim. With more trust-based management, we will be a more attractive employer, we will get more employees in both aged care and schools.

– There are many things that can be saved by being a better employer. I have 20 years of experience in the business world and I know that management without ambition for absence due to illness is the worst starting point for doing something.

High IQ

– Why does Trondheim always lag behind Oslo in terms of school results? (ask Dagbladet in Oslo dialect)

– That’s a very good question.

– Thank You.

– We must have enough teachers and our task is to let them be allowed Teacher. Reading, writing and arithmetic are the main occupations and then we must provide security and quick help to the “young people” to those who have extra challenges. There is no reason why Trondheim should be behind Oslo, because we are the city in the world with the highest IQ per square kilometer, says Kent with a laugh.

Kent Ranum says he has had “a bit of annoyance internally” in the Conservative Party because he has been too soft in his dealings with Labor. That he hasn’t hit his main opponent hard enough.

– I have chosen to be myself and I remember very well what it feels like to be a voter. I’m not interested in listening to politicians screaming at each other. I wanted to know what the politicians could do for me, so that’s what I tried to do.

– Anyway, it was a very good experience, says Kent Ranum.