Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kalle Klandorf survives no-confidence vote
Kalle Klandorf (Center) will continue in office as deputy mayor of Tallinn, after a no-confidence motion filed by the opposition parties at the city council failed to get a sufficient number of votes at Tuesday's off-scheduled sitting.
The no-confidence motion, which followed a recent incident where Klandorf told an older woman with walking difficulties who was struggling to get by along a snow-covered Tallinn street to take a cab instead, was rejected on the 79-seat chamber by a vote of 32 in favor. At least 40 votes were required for the motion to pass.
Chairman of the council, Tiit Terik, said that while the discussion initiated by the opposition parties highlighted shortcomings in the country-wide regulation concerning the clearing of the streets of snow, replacing the deputy mayor would not resolve these problems.
The Tallinn city council groups of the Social Democratic Party (SDE), Estonian Conservative People's Party (EKRE), Isamaa and Reform Party on Thursday initiated a no-confidence motion against Center Party member and Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kalle Klandorf.
At the beginning of February, the "Reporter" news program on commercial television channel Kanal 2 showed a segment about an elderly woman, who on her way to a doctor's appointment at the eye clinic at the East-Tallinn Central Hospital (ITKH) was unable to walk along a city center street which had not been cleared of snow and had therefore ended up getting practically marooned.
In the same segment, a comment was requested from Klandorf, who is responsible for the field of city maintenance services in the capital. Klandorf said that everything was well on the streets and that the elderly woman who got stuck in the snow should instead run her errands via taxi and not try to move on Tallinn streets on foot.
"In addition to apologies, the city government also owes well-maintained city streets and leaders capable of empathy, and as Kalle Klandorf does not wish to fulfill that role, we will express no confidence in him," the four parties that jointly initiated the no-confidence motion against Klandorf said in their statement.
Klandorf meanwhile said that in the interview he was guided by the information that had reached him at that moment and meant the possibility of social transport that the city provides for people with disabilities. Klandorf also said that the city would reimburse taxi fares in such cases.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Roberta Vaino