The collective effort is directed by visionary authorities

Being the elected leaders of the municipality the authorities have a significant role in shaping the town, its people and culture. As shown in subchapter 6.2.5, people want a direction. They are the ones the informants point to as the ones that should take charge (Informant no. 6, informant no.10, informant no.11, informant no.16). As shown in subchapter 6.1.6. , the

101 authorities are engaged in several activities to improve the infrastructure, though as mentioned the focus has not been on transport.

6.2.4.1 Vision/mission/goals until 2012

All of the mayors emphasize that Røros should be a good place to live in and has worked according to that notion. That is also how the informants see Røros. Several informants made statements such as ―it is a great place to grow up‖ (informant no.5, informant no.9 and informant no.13) and ―it is a good place to live‖ (Informant no.6, informant no.7). Several also point out that Røros have all the service functions people need intact and that they are located in a town‘s center which makes the town center lively, as people are there every day (Informant no.2, Informant no. 9, informant no.16). When describing Røros, several

informants call it ―a small place, but it has a lot‖, as said by informant no.2. The informants argue that Røros is urban and rural at the same time. Table 10 illustrates this argument

(Informant no.5, informant no.6, informant no.8, informant no.9, informant.no.12, informant no.16).

Urban Rural

All service functions intact Short distances to everything you need a proper towns center, not widely spread out - kids can walk/bike/sledge to school

Airport - I have 4 min to work from home

Trains - can leave the office 2 min before an appointment and be back in 20min

Rich culture life Close to nature

- I`ve been to more concerts here than in Oslo Everyone knows each other -Events year round, not seasonal - "only" 3500 inhabitants

Rich sports life -"the country ghost"

-have all the clubs you can image

Table 10 Statements made about Røros.

As informant no.2 put it ―we have everything. We just lack an ice free harbor‖^liv So the data suggests that the town of Røros is well-liked and the words of the mayors resonate in the population.

102 In terms of being a shaping force, the mayors emphasize the importance of using the houses in Kjerkgata (one of the main streets) for business and not granting the building of malls.

Another way is building the municipality infrastructure, as discussed in subchapter 6.1.6.

These activities indicate that they do work on creating a ―good place to live‖, though this has never been written down as an end-goal or vision/mission statement, been measured or tracked, as it has been explained to me.

None of the mayors expressed that they had a vision of what Røros could and should be in the future from the time they entered into their role as a leader. One had an idea of a specific building they wanted to build and fix the municipality‘s finances as they were about to end up on the ROBECK list. The rest did not have any specific plans ―just to make things happen^lv‖ and ―push in the right direction^lvi‖ which have meant developing industry and creating ―a good place to live‖. Additionally, the circumstances of them becoming the mayor were really not based on what they wanted to achieve – they were recruited or they describe the

circumstances as ―someone needed to do it^lvii‖.

So in terms of long-term visionary work, the data suggests that the mayors are not the driving force. However, informants have pointed to now deceased mayors, like Ole Kverneng and Arne Kokkvoll, saying that these people made a difference (Informant no.2, informant no.11).

So the data therefore suggests that some mayors have been more visionary than others and that these ones have driven the community forward. Currently though, the data suggests that the mayors have not pushed the community forward towards a long-term goal. As one informant put it

There have been many rosy words and speeches in the past but there has to be some bigger expansion plans underneath. Thinking a little bigger and get a structural support to frame it^lviii (Informant no.8)

6.2.4.2 Vision/mission/goal after 2012

With that said it has been pointed out by some informants that the current ―Næringsplan‖, the plan for business development in the municipality, is as close to a vision and plan to attain it, as they have ever had (informant no.11). The plan states a goal, which should be reached by 2022, and six focus areas (Reinskou 2011). The main goal is to increase the number of people in the municipality to 6000 people and focus areas are as illustrated below in Figure 23 ;

103

Figure 23 The ”Næringsplan” main goal and six focus areas.

The plan covers living arrangements, places of employment and which industries are to be developed – agriculture and food production, travel and leisure and the cultural and natural heritage (Reinskou 2011). The manufacturing trade is not put as a main focus, but it is a part of focus area number 3 (Reinskou 2011). That seems to be noticed as it is commented upon (Informant no.5, informant no.6). The mayors have little knowledge about the projects the industry is involved in, as shown in the comment that ―I was not even aware of how good the industry was‖ (Informant no.4) when discussing the manufacturing business.

The data seem to suggest that the direction Røros wants to go in is the touristic and

―experience the old Røros‖- direction and not put that much emphasis on the current situation within the industry. The mayors are, however, not the main actor in that department as the municipality has their own ―næringsjef‖, a chief of industry. The plan was finalized and approved for 2012-2022 and it is the first of this comprehensive kind according to two

informants (Informant no.11, informant no.15). The same informants explained that they liked

104 it because of the concreteness of it and level of detail. Still it is argued that the plan is not enough and calls out for a stronger sense of direction (Informant no.11, informant no.13).

Overall, the data suggest that there are some thoughts about the development of Røros.

Moreover, that the thoughts have become more concrete from 2011 and onwards. There is a comprehensive plan which stipulates focus areas, strategies, actions, responsibility and timelines. However, it is not a comprehensive plan which covers all areas for a length of time and it does not say what Røros shall be the best at or its mission, as found in company

management literature.

6.2.4.3 Change in government

Despite the data suggestion that visions have been lacking, at least until 2012, several mayors have had more than one period in the office since 1977. When asked why, one informant said

―I think that implies that it has been stabile and most people are happy‖^lix While others said that Røros is not good at running political debates (Informant no.11, informant no.13), that they need to be more proactive and not rest on the old merits (informant no. 12), and that the municipality does little to help its current industries (Informant no.5, informant. 6, informant no.8). However, several informants have pointed out that the people of Røros are stalwart (Informant no.5, informant no.16), stubborn (Informant no.8 informant no.10, informant no.11), cautious and skeptic (Informant no.12) or reactionary (Informant no.13). However, they will adapt when necessary (Informant no. 5, informant no.10, informant no.11, informant no.12, informant no.13). The lack of change though suggests that most people are content or else there would be more rapid changes in the mayor‘s office. However, most people in Røros are not in managing roles and the work force constitutes a larger part of the voting population than the managers, who also often are people who have migrated (Informant no.1, informant no.5, informant no.6, informant no.11, informant no.16). Except for one period,

Arbeiderpartiet, the labor party, has been the ruling party since at least 1970s, history suggests that the path Røros is on will not change, as rules and regulations heavily guard the

democratic process.

In a democratic process the majority wins and the mayor does not make decisions

singlehandedly. As one put it ―the things that were moral and ethics a 100 years ago, are today written rules and regulations^lx‖ .The political processes do in fact require much more time than in the business environment, where a leader can make a decision and start implementing

105 right away. In the democratic process there are many voices to be heard before a decision can be made. An example of this is the time it has taken to clear an industrial field for new companies. The mayor in charge at that time said he was struggling against the opinion of those who did not see the benefit of clearing the area. There was an assumption that no companies needed it. Another informant said that the fact that there were no larger areas available in the area for companies to build on has been a hindrance for many years

(Informant no.15). Havsjøveien is an industrial area outside the heritage site which was made available for construction of buildings for new entrepreneurship in Røros (Informant no.15).

The data suggests that the mayors are leading in the intersection of present culture and what needs to happen. The differences in opinions make the decision making process long and because the municipality is a democracy, it does take time.

A large working class with the roots outlined in subchapter 5.2.2 suggests that change can be hard. Moreover, the data suggests that it is not only the municipal authorities who are

directing the efforts to make a place; it is as much the people of Røros. The observational data suggest the authorities are deeply ingrained in the fabric of society. Sometimes they take charge and sometimes they let themselves be lead and fight for the good ideas, making things happen (informant nno.2, informant no.4).

6.2.4.4 Other actors

Over time though, the data suggests that there have been several actors who have influenced the overall direction of the municipality. There have been individuals who have contributed with their own persuasion, sheer will and ideas about how things should be. The bank of Røros has had a clear stated vision and goals, which highlight the term ―good place to live‖

(Rørosbanken Strategidokument). The bank has been present since approximately the same time as the municipality was established, in the late 1800^th century. The work of individuals such as Knut Strøm and Sverre Ødegaard in terms of lifting Røros as a tourist destination, the continuation of the hotel as a driving force with the current owners and the decision of the founder of HÅG to situate the factory and remain in the mountains (Informant no.4). Further examples are the continuous work local food manufacturers have put into selling their

produce in a small scale and take charge of their own production and distribution chain. Also the workers of businesses threatened with close downs who buy their own business, as presented in subchapter 6.1.3, and the artists who write, sing and perform in the arena Røros offers does impact the overall direction of the place.

106 Key findings from this subchapter are summarized in Table 11.

Key findings

No unified plan or written stated direction for the municipality until 2012

The majors` "Good to live" resonates in the population

The "Næringsplan" is perceived as the most comprehensive plan they have ever had The "Næringsplan" covers several areas in the

municipality, though not all

People are content with the municipality authorities Lack of direction have given room for other actors to

influence the municipality’s direction

Table 11: Key findings related to the proposition "The collective efforts are directed by visionary authorities”