Helsinki administration demand rules in negotiations with Sipoo

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A vigorous discussion took place at the Monday night meeting of the Helsinki City Board, where the city leaders were questioned on their negotiation tactics.
      The debate centred on the conduct of Helsinki Mayor Jussi Pajunen (National Coalition Party) and City Board Chairman Jan Vapaavuori (National Coalition Party) during the boundary change talks with the neighbouring community of Sipoo.
      Helsingin Sanomat has learned that in yesterday's meeting the representatives of Helsinki were called out for a better understanding of when they act under the mandate of the city and when they do not.
     
Last week Helsingin Sanomat reported how Pajunen and Vapaavuori's conduct in the April talks with Sipoo made the Sipoo representatives feel threatened.
      According to Sipoo Mayor Markku Luoma and Sipoo Municipal Board Chairman Christel Liljeström (Swedish People's Party), the Helsinki representatives had said that if Sipoo did not agree voluntarily to relinquish an area of 25 square kilometres to the Finnish capital, Helsinki would go through the national government channels to annex a piece of land twice as large.
      Pajunen and Vapaavuori have refrained from commenting on such allegations.
     
Publicly, the Helsinki City Board would rather just sweep the entire stir under the carpet. At the Board's Monday night meeting it was therefore agreed that in public the negotiations would merely be described as "constructive".
      "The negotiations took place in good spirits. One must remember that this is merely the Sipoo representatives' view of what went on", Helsinki City Board member Sanna Hellström (Greens) explained after the meeting.
      "We had a constructive discussion to clarify the situation", agreed representatives Sirkka-Liisa Vehviläinen (SDP) and Suvi Rihtniemi (National. Coalition Party).
     
The City Board also filed its statement with the Helsinki Administrative Court on the summer's boundary change proposal. In it Helsinki proposes that all complaints be ignored or dismissed.
      Among the complaints is the statement by Kaarlo Tuori, Professor of Administrative Law at the University of Helsinki, according to which Helsinki's boundary change proposal in Sipoo is illegal.
      Tuori argues that misconduct took place in the Helsinki City Council meeting in June, when the boundary question was handled. In legal usage this should automatically result in an overturning of the motion.
      Tuori also feels that Helsinki's call for a municipal boundary change does not satisfy the requirements of the law. The City Council's proposal is therefore illegal.
      Tuori's statement is part of a complaint signed by private individuals. The appellants call for the overturning of the Council's decision.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Helsinki uses threats to pressure Sipoo to change boundaries (15.9.2006)
  In the annexing department, Helsinki has a history of getting its way (3.9.2006)

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