Thomas Breen

For the Irish hurler, see Thomas Breen (hurler).
Thomas Breen

Thomas Breen (born 13 September 1972) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He represented Hedmark in the Norwegian Parliament from 2009 to 2013, where he was elected to deputise for Knut Storberget, who was appointed to a government position. He previously served as a deputy representative from 2005 to 2009, during which he deputised for Storberget.

Political career

Parliament

Breen was elected as a deputy representative from Hedmark at the 2005 election. He held the position until 2009. During his term he also sat on the Standing Committee on Justice and also deputised for Knut Storberget, who served as minister of justice in Jens Stoltenberg's second government.[1]

He was elected as a regular respective from Hedmark at the 2009 election and held the position until 2013. During this time, he sat on the Election Committee, the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs between 2009 and 2011 and the Standing Committee on Health and Care Services between 2011 and 2013. He also served as the second vice chair of the latter committee between November 2011 and March 2013.[1]

Local politics

Folldal and Hedmark County politics

He was a member of the Folldal Municipal Council between 1999 and 2003. He also served as the deputy mayor of Folldal between 2003 and 2007 and concurrently a deputy member of the Hedmark County Council.[1]

County Mayor of Innlandet

Breen was the Labour Party's nominee for county mayor in the 2023 local elections. He became county mayor of Innlandet following the election in a coalition consisting of the Labour, Conservative and Green Party, with the Conservatives' Hanne Velure as deputy county mayor.[2]

During his term, he was notably criticised in August 2024 for the county establishing a health group that would evaluate which students with mental illnesses could be qualified for taxi rides to schools. Breen defended the decision, arguing that the purpose of the group is to find the right tools to help with the issue.[3]

Breen and his coalition faced criticism and mass protests in October 2024 when they announced the county council's decision to close down several upper secondary schools and their school places around Innlandet.[4] Justice Minister Emilie Mehl caused controversy when she described Breen as "prostituting himself to the Conservative Party" in order to issue the closure, which both Breen and his deputy condemned and called on Mehl to focus on her duties as minister.[5] Mayor of Lom Kristian Frisvold stated that "this is war" in a municipal council meeting and encouraged people to dig up dirt on Breen and other county politicians. Breen called his comments "undemocratic" and distanced himself from Frisvold's rhetoric.[6] Despite all the opposition to the closures, a majority in the Innlandet county council approved the school closures on 23 October.[7]

Controversies

Breen was implicated in the impartiality scandal that forced the resignation of minister of culture and equality Anette Trettebergstuen in June 2023. He was one of the two colleagues she had appointed to the board of Norsk Tipping, and she claimed to have evaluated her impartiality regarding Breen.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Breen, Thomas" (in Norwegian Bokmål). stortinget.no. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Ny fylkesordfører i Innlandet" (in Norwegian). NRK Innlandet. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Må sette ned nemnd: Stor økning i elever som ikke kan ta skolebuss" (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK Innlandet. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Skulesaka i Innlandet: Kva ligg bak nedleggingsforslaget?" (in Norwegian Nynorsk). NRK Innlandet. 18 October 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Mehl opprørt over skolenedleggelser i Innlandet: – Helt grusomt" (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK Innlandet. 15 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Lom-ordfører i kommunestyremøte: –⁠ Vi skal grave opp all mulig dritt" (in Norwegian Bokmål). Verdens Gang. 21 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  7. ^ "Skolestriden i Innlandet er avgjort: Fylket legger ned skolene" (in Norwegian Bokmål). Verdens Gang. 23 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Trettebergstuen ga styreverv til gamle partivenner" (in Norwegian). Nettavisen. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
Political offices
Preceded by County Mayor of Innlandet
2023–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Second Vice Chair of the Standing Committee on Health and Care Services
2011–2013 		Succeeded by


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