Ministers propose referendum on study for merger of cities of Helsinki region

Vote could be held during municipal election - Vantaa and Espoo mayors oppose idea

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The mayors of Espoo and Vantaa have come out against a proposal for a referendum in the cities of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area for authorising a study on the feasibility of a municipal merger of the cities of region.
     Minister of Housing Jan Vapaavuori (Nat. Coalition Party), Minister of Municipal Affairs Mari Kiviniemi (Centre) and Minister of Justice Tuija Brax (Green) proposed that residents of Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa be allowed to vote on giving the go-ahead for a study on the implications of forming a single metropolis in the region.
     Minister of Justice Brax says that legislation required for arranging such a vote could be passed this spring, and the question could be put to voters in the Helsinki region in the municipal elections to be held in October.
     
Mayors Marketta Kokkonen of Espoo and Juhani Paajanen of Vantaa rejected the idea, which was put forward by the three ministers in an op-ed piece in Helsingin Sanomat.
     Kokkonen said that cooperative bodies of the Helsinki region have unanimously agreed that no such study should be held. Vantaa's Paajanen sees the proposal as an affront to municipal democracy.
     He feels that the idea of a regional plebiscite is just a way to concentrate power.
     "This kind of hard power thinking smacks a bit of the old East", Paajanen said.
     
While Vantaa's Mayor was adamantly opposed to the idea, Vantaa City Board Chairman Tapani Mäkinen (Nat. Coalition Party) sees no reason why such a vote should not be held.
     In Helsinki, Otto Lehtipuu (Green), Deputy Chairman of the City Board agrees. He feels that it is natural for mayors to oppose a study on a merger, because currently the mayors hold decision-making power on regional matters.
     Helsinki Mayor Jussi Pajunen sees no problem in such a vote. "I do not believe that the Helsinki City Council has anything against this. The municipal elections in the autumn would also be an appropriate occasion to hold such a vote.
     Pajunen also denies that any agreement had been made not to examine the benefits of linking the municipalities. He notes that cooperation has simply functioned so well that no such study has been seen as necessary.
     Justice Minister Brax emphasises that the proposed referendum would not be a vote on whether or not the cities of the Helsinki region should be joined together in a single municipal entity, but rather on whether or not the question should be examined by impartial experts.
     Commenting on the sharp reactions of the mayors of Vantaa and Espoo, Housing Minister Vapaavuori said that it is strange that the municipal leaders' elite hysterically fears the opinion of the people, while holding on to power tooth and nail.
     "Ordinary people do not even notice where the municipal borders are. I expect that an extensive public debate will emerge on the matter", Vapaavuori says.


Links:
  Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council (YTV)

Helsingin Sanomat