New mayor in Reykjavík

“I am humble about the responsibility I have been given,” says Ein­ar Þor­steinsson, who took over as mayor of Reykjavík yesterday from Dagur B. Eggertsson, who has served as mayor for over ten years.

“I am grateful for the support that Progressives received during the last election. There was a clear call by Progressives for changes in the political leadership in the city. The support that Progressives received led to the change of mayor today and Progressives are having their first mayor in the party’s history,” Þorsteinsson tells us.

“There are a lot of projects in the works. We have been dealing with a difficult financial situation and have been working since day one to fix it, and it’s working. The aim is to make a surplus in the next year, but the economic environment is not helping the local government or the state. To achieve the goal, we need to continue to show restraint.”

The city is growing fast

“I think it’s safe to say that the project is very challenging. We are the largest municipality in Iceland and capital cities carry more projects than any other municipalities. It’s just natural and the role of capital cities around the world is to take on more responsibilities. We do it with pride but the society is changing,” he explains.

“There is a very large group of foreign children in our school system, which calls for increased support and a lot of money. It’s very important to ensure that children receive the services they need, that Icelandic teaching is good, and so on.

If we look to the future, it can be said that in the broader context, the society is changing and the city is growing rapidly. People are moving here from other municipalities and from outside the world. The growth is just found in most areas of the system,” he says.

“They are found in housing, transport, welfare and other areas. Our job is to manage the city so that the growing pains don’t become too severe, but I have a great deal of confidence that it will work well.”

“Not afraid to stand in the line of fire”

In light of his first choice in this election season, Þorsteinsson can be called a newcomer to politics. His rise was rapid when he was elected to the Progressive Party, elected to the city council, and takes over as mayor twenty-five months later. Does he think he will enjoy his job as mayor?

“Yes, I enjoyed this work the first day, and in fact, it’s a lot more fun than I expected. I’m not afraid to stand in the line of fire and deal with difficult issues. I’ve done that in the media. This is a different project, and the responsibility is great. I have good people with me, and the majority of people are standing firm. Furthermore, the cooperation with the minority is much better than what usually appears in the media. I want to push for more agreement on matters and to work more closely together. I’ve found that the spirit is better in the town hall than in the previous term and last term,” concludes Ein­ar Þor­steinsson, the new mayor of Reykjavík.