Rita Ottervik

Rita Ottervik
Ottervik in 2007.
Mayor of Trondheim
In office
9 October 2003 – 26 October 2023
DeputyKnut Fagerbakke
Hilde Opoku
Ola Lund Renolen
Mona Berger
Preceded byAnne Kathrine Slungård
Succeeded byKent Ranum
Personal details
Born
Rita Irene Ottervik

(1966-09-11) 11 September 1966 (age 58)
Hitra, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway
Political partyLabour
Spouse
​
(m. 2002)​

Rita Irene Ottervik (born 11 September 1966 in Hitra) is a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party who served as the mayor of Trondheim from 2003 to 2023.

Political career

Early career

She has served as a secretary in the Workers' Youth League and political advisor at the Office of the Prime Minister under Thorbjørn Jagland (1996–1997). She was elected as a member of Trondheim city council in 1999, and sat for four years before becoming mayor.[1]

Government consideration

Ottervik was considered a candidate for a cabinet post following the elections of 2005 and 2009, but she declined the offers on both occasions in favor of continuing her tenure as mayor.[2]

Mayor of Trondheim

Ottervik became mayor of Trondheim following the 2003 local elections, with the Socialist Left's Knut Fagerbakke as deputy mayor. The duo led Trondheim for the first twelve years of Ottervik's tenure, during which they were re-elected in 2007 and 2011. Fagerbakke retired at the 2015 local election and was replaced by the Green Party's Hilde Opoku.[3][4] Opoku went on leave in 2017 to assist a humanitarian mission in Ghana and was replaced by Ola Lund Renolen, who held the position until 2019 when Opoku decided to permanently continue her mission in Ghana.[5][6] Ottervik was re-elected in 2019 with the Socialist Left's Mona Berger as deputy mayor.[7]

In 2022, Ottervik announced that she wouldn't be seeking re-election in the 2023 local elections.[8]

Following the 2023 local elections, she was succeeded by the Conservatives' Kent Ranum.[9]

Personal life

Ottervik is married to fellow Labour Party politician Tore Nordseth.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Rita Ottervik". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  2. ^ Rabås, Kjerstin (October 19, 2009). "- Takket nei til statsrådspost" (in Norwegian). Adresseavisen/Aftenposten. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  3. ^ "– Jeg vet ikke om noen som er så sta som henne" (in Norwegian). NRK. 11 October 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Klippet sin første snor som varaordfører" (in Norwegian). Adresseavisen. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  5. ^ "- Føler meg kompetent for oppgaven" (in Norwegian). Adresseavisen. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Ute av politikken" (in Norwegian). Klassekampen. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Mona Berger blir varaordfører i Trondheim" (in Norwegian). Fontene. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Ottervik stiller ikke til gjenvalg: Nå har Giske bestemt seg for om han vi ha ordførerjobben" (in Norwegian). nearradio.no. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  9. ^ "En æra er over i Trondheim" (in Norwegian). NRK. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  10. ^ Ellingsen, Lajla (31 August 2002). "Bøll ikke med bruden" (in Norwegian). Adresseavisen. p. 13.
Party political offices
Preceded by Secretary-general of the Workers' Youth League
1992–1996 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Trondheim
2003–2023 		Succeeded by
Kent Ranum