Ann-Charlotte
Schalin
Kauniainen
"More action, less talk. A good living in Grani with safe walkways and functioning everyday life. Tax funds are optimized with sensible financial planning. Wide opportunities for exercise."
I live in Kauniainen, I am married and have three adult children. I have extensive experience in municipal affairs: 2009-2014 member of the directorate of Smedsby School, 2013-2016 chairman of the Hagelstamska high school’s school committee, 2015-2016 chairman of the Grankulla Samskola upper secondary school’s school committee, 2017-2021 deputy of the Kauniainen city council and member of both the Swedish committee for education and early childhood education as well as the sports committee. After that, I was for four years the trustee as well as the unofficial caregiver for my uncle, who lived in Kauniainen, when he became a widower, so I know what it is like to live as a senior in our city, and what could be improved. I have a great drive and have always been passionate about influencing things for the better. I walk a lot and in recent years I have also started to use public transport more. During these walks and trips, I have found many places in our city where pedestrian safety could be better and where the conditions for inclusive exercise could be further improved. I am a Master of Science (MSc, economist) and for over 10 years I was active in Suomen Ekonomit (The Business School Graduates in Finland) with various assignments, including the assignment as the chairman of the economists’ association Niord and the second vice-chairman of Suomen Ekonomit. I have previously worked in international FMCG companies in various leadership positions, and I now work with people & culture tasks for R-kioski. I am an experienced negotiator, project leader and communicator, and I find it easy to build relationships and collaborate with people from different backgrounds.
Important political topics
Sustainable and attractive planning
I want Kauniainen to be a city where we feel comfortable and can live safely and pleasantly in our own language. This means that we ensure a functioning everyday life for all of us by making wise economic decisions, so that all basic services are accessible and available close to home also in the future, regardless of age (childcare, education, healthcare, elderly care).
Likewise, we must ensure that our city continues to remain a safe and pleasant oasis, where you can move around at night without fear and where you can walk in nature just a stone's throw from your home. We must maintain the feeling of a villa city through moderate and sustainable construction. We should first consider what can be renovated, and only then build new. We should also consider first whether we can rebuild existing buildings, for example at height, before we exploit untouched nature through new construction.
We must promote everyday exercise. We can do this, among other things, by ensuring that everyone has a safe walkway from their home exits to bus stops and schools, because it also encourages walking longer distances.
Economy & Business
I hold a Master of Science degree with specialization in economics, and I have extensive leadership experience in several companies with responsibility for budgets and to optimize results. I want to work to optimize the use of Kauniainen's tax funds with sensible financial planning – also long term.
With wise economic decisions, we can ensure a functioning everyday life for all of us, where all basic services will continue to be accessible and available close to home, regardless of age (childcare, education, healthcare, elderly care).
Thriving citizens
We must invest in health-promoting activities and well-being. Kauniainen should also in the future be able to offer diverse and high-quality exercise and sports activities for both young and old. Kauniainen has a good reputation for its diverse sports activities for young people, and we must protect that, but we must not forget the everyday exercisers and seniors. In order to offer diverse activities, we need enough exercise facilities that meet today's requirements, and we must keep our sports halls and fields in good condition.
We must promote everyday exercise. We can do this, among other things, by ensuring that everyone has a safe walkway from their home exits to bus stops and schools, because it also encourages walking longer distances.
We should also encourage inclusive exercise. As an example, swimming in Gallträsk is free, so we must keep the piers in good condition and the city could also make the threshold for winter swimming as low as possible by supporting Kole ry. with a heated proper changing room and a wind shelter at the swimming ladder.
Candidate's answers in election machine
1 / 14
We should have a swimming hall in Kauniainen.
Swimming is suitable for most people, and is a healthy, low-threshold form of exercise. That\'s why we should definitely ensure that Kauniainen continues to have its own swimming pool.
2 / 14
The Swedish-speaking municipal daycare should continue to be concentrated at Kasabergets daghem daycare center.
Kasabergets daycare is working well, and there would be no advantages in splitting the business into two locations.
3 / 14
Both Finnish- and Swedish-speaking early childhood education and schools should continue to be governed by their own committees.
t is important to preserve our opportunities to also in practice be able to live in Kauniainen in both native languages . To guarantee that our living bilingualism survives, we need separate decision-making bodies for the Swedish- and Finnish-language daycare and school units.
4 / 14
Early childhood education should be free for everyone.
In my opinion those, who can afford it, could also in the future pay a small fee to ease the tax burden.
5 / 14
Schools should prioritize traditional textbooks over digital learning materials.
Many studies support the continued use of traditional textbooks alongside digital learning materials. Depending on the subject, different learning material types work differently, so situational awareness is needed here. One size doesn\'t fit all.
6 / 14
One of the municipality’s most important tasks is to invest in sports facilities and opportunities for exercise and recreation.
We must focus on health-promoting activities and well-being. We should keep our sports halls and fields in good condition, and we should also promote everyday exercise and encourage inclusive, i.e. low-threshold exercise. Cooperating with and supporting the associations is important to achieve the best possible results.
7 / 14
It is important to provide all residents with equal opportunities for cultural activities.
8 / 14
The municipality should introduce or improve opportunities for residents to influence how municipal funds are used through participatory budgeting.
We have good examples of residents being able to propose and vote on various initiatives that the city then implements. I support continuing with that.
9 / 14
The municipality should invest in public transportation.
We need to make it even easier and more convenient to use public transport. Otherwise, people will easily choose not to take the bus/train. The walkways from homes to all bus stops must be made safe (today not all of them are), and the different bus lines\' trips could be better coordinated. Now, for example, 212, 533 and 549 often arrive one after the other to our city center, and then there is another 15 min. break without any buses. Cross-traffic should also be improved.
10 / 14
It should be possible to be a resident in more than one municipality, for example, through digital municipal citizenship.
Economically, this would not make sense for Kauniainen.
11 / 14
The municipality should better facilitate the expansion of renewable energy, such as solar and wind power.
Increased use of renewable energy reduces CO2 emissions, so I would like Kauniainen to be in favor of installing solar cells on the roofs of buildings, both municipal and private.
12 / 14
The municipality should mix more housing types in planning than is currently the case.
13 / 14
The municipality should introduce anonymous recruitment.
14 / 14