Bosse
Lönnqvist
Espoo
"A stable economy is made with a higher employment rate - not higher taxes. We need more adults along the entire educational path. Family-friendly urban planning should be in focus."
An "Espoolainen" since birth with a warm feeling for the city. My family includes my wife (special needs teacher), two adult children and our dog, a 14-year-old lagotto. During the children's school years, I worked as a class father for 10 years in a row, for a while for 2 classes at the same time. This gave me insight into how important it is for parents to also get involved in the school world - according to their own ability. For the past 10 years, I have worked as a mentor for students at Aalto University, something I have found to be very rewarding.
I have a masters degree in engineering and have solid leadership experience in the technology industry for more than 30 years. Technology, innovations and economics are therefore close to me and especially how important it is for us in Finland that we have a good, equal and encouraging school for everyone.
I have been involved in municipal politics since 2012 - somewhat since 2008 as the chairman of a school board. I have been both a member and deputy member of the council, a member and chairman of the Svenska Rum committee, a committee member of the Finnish Committee for education and childcare and a board member of Prakticum. In addition, I served as chairman of SFP i Esbo for 4 years (2015-2019) and was a district board member of SFP i Nyland 2017-2019.
Important political topics
Children, Youth, and Families
Children and youth should be at the centre of planning, with a focus on what children need for good wellness.
We need more adults along the entire educational path to ensure sufficient support for children and youth.
Daycare centres and schools should be located close enough to homes, and schoolyards should be developed to encourage activity.
Economy & Business
The economy must be in balance. The city's income must be increased by increasing the employment rate, not by raising taxes.
The employment rate must be increased through active labor services with clear goals and regular follow-up.
An effective integration path is needed to enable a rapid transition to working life according to the individual's education and skills.
Investments must be well-founded and based on the needs of the city's residents and a clear business case.
Municipal and urban vitality
Family-friendly housing production and well-developed service infrastructure must be secured.
Espoo shall be an attractive city for business, entrepreneurship and also small-scale production industry.
By offering an attractive environment for business, with well-developed infrastructure and opportunities for cooperation, we can indirectly promote the success of companies and thereby strengthen the economy of Espoo.
Candidate's answers in election machine
1 / 14
We should build upwards rather than expand into new areas in Espoo.
We need different types of construction, but above all we need family-friendly housing production, something we have missed in recent years.
2 / 14
Espoo is a safe city to live in.
3 / 14
Espoo provides sufficient services and support for young people.
4 / 14
Early childhood education should be free for everyone.
The current fees are on a reasonable level.
5 / 14
Schools should prioritize traditional textbooks over digital learning materials.
Both are good, but in recent years, the emphasis has shifted too much to digital learning materials, primarily due to economic reasons and not pedagogical ones.
6 / 14
One of the municipality’s most important tasks is to invest in sports facilities and opportunities for exercise and recreation.
The investments must though be useful for the citizens over a broad spectrum.
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.
It is the primary task of the city council and the committees, i.e. the democratically elected bodies, to allocate budget funds. However, it must be ensured that the opinions of the city\'s residents are heard each year when the annual budget is drawn up.
9 / 14
The municipality should invest in public transportation.
10 / 14
It should be possible to be a resident in more than one municipality, for example, through digital municipal citizenship.
11 / 14
The municipality should better facilitate the expansion of renewable energy, such as solar and wind power.
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