Third of local leaders at the helm over a decade

Photo: Lauri Kulpsoo

In the recent local governments «top list», super senior elders may indeed be found with some of the «stars»; even so, most of the ancients are to be found towards the lower end of the table – or at rock bottom.

Postimees attempted to count up towns and communes where the same leaders have been in charge at least ten years in a row. The data were not easy to obtain as the local governmental websites are not in the habit of setting forth their histories. Also, listing the names of long-term elders provided not a complete picture of entrenched local authorities, as manoeuvres amongst the insiders bring no fresh winds to corridors of power.

A third i.e. 73 of Estonia’s commune or town elders and mayors have occupied their seats for ten years at least; of the latter, a half has reigned for over 15 years. Thus, every sixth of seventh local leader has endured at the top for the entire period of Estonia’s regained independence.

Postimees paid a visit to two communes ruled by long-timers – Hanila, in Lääne County, and Märjamaa (Rapla County). The stories of which serve to reveal that longevity may mean stagnation or progress – in these two definite cases, this is up to concrete personalities and sizes of the communes. Location wise, both could have opportunities for development.

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Guide to local long-timers

Launching into its research on senior town and commune chiefs, Postimees had a feeling these may me numerous. 73, however, exceeded our expectations. Should criteria be broadened, more could perhaps be discovered: there being the travelling elders – in office for nearly the whole regained independence, but at two-three locations. That is the way it goes in Saaremaa, for instance. However, some have jumped from one edge of Estonia to another.

With community elder, mayor or council chairmen the same, not always has the very same staff held their seats for entire 10 or 20 year periods. Still, as a rule in such local governments, other officials have been pretty permanent as well, usually only replaced as they retire.

Sure, there have been times when local boats have been rocked. Therefore, some long-termers have little gaps in their rules. Even so, one thing seems certain: as time goes on, power gets more and more entrenched, the people treating the leaders as something inevitable. And will not even bother to vote. Attempts by «dissidents» usually end up by gaining a couple of seats at the councils; the next time they refrain from running – or step into community elder’s boat.

The smaller the local government – the tiniest ones averaging a thousand and a half inhabitants providing for lien’s share of long-termers – the greater the probability of power being entrenched and held tight. Setting aside long-termer-led-towns like Tallinn, Narva, Kohtla-Järve and Maardu, other local governments with lasting leaders are rather governed by coalitions, whereby concentration of power to a small circle has been somewhat hindered.

Even with two thirds of long-term local leaders belonging to political parties, they have preferred to run in election coalition even when their parties have come out with separate lists of their own. We did not ask if local leaders, during their long careers, had changed parties of left them; however, recalling the recent history, it is evident that following the collapse of Rahvaliit (People’s Union of Estonia), IRL has collected the bulk of commune elders – 18 long-termers coming from their ranks.

The senior of seniors, dating back to the Andropov era (Yuri Andropov, presiding over the Soviet Union in 1983-84 – edit) is Tiit Tõnts (61) in Antsla Commune. And he is running again – as do the other four commune elders in power prior 1990.

Few and rare were the commune and town chiefs who told Postimees they would rather have somebody else grab the baton. The desire to continue being no surprise, considering their average age of 53; nearing sixty, it is humanly understandable it would be a temptation to hang in there till retirement, at least.

As, self-critically, admitted by the long-time Märjamaa Commune elder Eero Plamus (54): should he not step back now, after 15 years at the helm, then four years from now he would be thinking of retirement – unwilling to cede power. 

Ülle Kiviste (55), having led Kaiu Commune for 16 years and also about to step back, noted that at her age it was still possible to take a chance at something new. Realising the small commune has exhausted its options and needs to consider a merger, she exposed an emotional issue: «Having built up this commune, it would be hard on me to start tearing down the work.»

«Why are you asking? Have an evil agenda?» asked quite a few commune chiefs, addressed by Postimees to specify data. «Is stability worse than constant power struggle?» they queried.

The question surely needs to be posed: does leader longevity lead to stability or rather stagnation? The answer is: both. Indeed, some local governments may be found in top ten and top fifty of the recent achievements-list; even so, the majority falls among the weakest and the underdogs. 

Traditionally, Õru Commune in Valga County, with 493 inhabitants and one-and-the-same elder for 17 years, ranks the very last. Here, long-time leaders may not be the issue; rather, a small commune far from anything central, cannot cope and ought to consider hooking up with others.

Even so, the super-senior-list does include eight merged communes, with five more about to tie the knot this year. Still, these are the exception. As, one way or another, the tiny ones do survive. The local malcontents tend to simply leave, not taking the trouble to turn anything around.