The chairman of the Moderate Party and Olofström municipality’s incoming deputy mayor, Alfred Appelros, 31, is reported to have explored the possibility of creating a new top position for his mother, who is named as a candidate for the chairmanship of the education committee. However, Appelros denies parts of the information.

It is Blekinge Läns Tidning that reports on the events surrounding the upcoming power shift in Olofström municipality, where Moderate Party chairman Alfred Appelros is expected to become deputy mayor.

According to the newspaper’s information, Appelros brought up the possibility of instituting a new position for his mother, Annika Appelros, at a meeting with the municipality’s HR director Cecilia Tallkvist.

She is currently being considered for the role of chair of the education committee but currently works as a principal at a municipal upper secondary school.

HR director: “Not prepared”

The dual roles risk creating a complicated situation within the municipality’s organization. As principal, Annika Appelros answers to the head of the education department, Patrik Håkansson.

But if she also becomes the chair of the education committee, she would, in certain respects, also become Håkansson’s supervisor.

The HR director confirmed to BLT that the issue of a new position for a close relative of Appelros was raised during the meeting and described how the topic came up rather unexpectedly.

– “We were in a meeting about statistics. Then he brought this up, and I was not prepared for that. My experience is that parties handle these matters internally,” she said.

M-leader denies

M-leader Alfred Appelros confirmed that conversations about the issue have taken place, but denies that he tried to arrange a new position for his mother.

Instead, he emphasizes that the discussion was about how the municipality should handle situations where people working in the administration also take on political positions.

When asked if any names were mentioned in the conversation, he replied that it may have happened, but that, according to him, the discussion only concerned the matter at a policy level.

– “But if anyone claims that we meddle in individual job placements, then they are wrong,” he said.

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