Jonna Stavnsbjerg is the former Social Democratic mayor of Skive municipality 1990-1997.
Stavnsbjerg was born in 1941 in Vemb. Trained as a hairdresser in 1960. In 1969, she graduated as a kindergarten teacher from “Dansk Fritidspædagogseminarium”. Stavnsbjerg was then employed at Skivehus School in 1971 as a kindergarten teacher, a position she took leave from after being elected mayor in 1989. Stavnsbjerg resigned from the city council in connection with the election in 2001.
Stavnsbjerg is married to former lecturer and AOF Chairman Helge Stavnsbjerg.
Political career up to mayor
Stavnsbjerg was elected to the Skive City Council in 1981. In 1985, she took over as mayor of the party and was one of the leading candidates to take over the role of leading candidate for mayor from Knud Olsen, who chose not to run for re-election in 1989.
There was a close election in the party between Stavnsbjerg and John Beck Thomsen, which went to several votes. Stavnsbjerg won the last vote and was ready for the election.
With Stavnsbjerg in the lead, the Social Democrats went to the polls and got a result that exceeded all expectations. There was a fear that the large savings under Knud Olsen and the fact that they were running under a new candidate could all result in a poorer election result.
However, the result exceeded all expectations, it was the most solid majority for the Social Democrats ever, and Stavnsbjerg broke the record for the number of personal votes. The position of mayor was secured, and Stavnsbjerg became the first female mayor in Skive’s history.
The mayoral era
Stavnsbjerg’s time as mayor was characterized by poor finances and cutbacks at several institutions in Skive. In 1992, Viborg County Council decided to move parts of the functions at Skive Hospital to the hospital in Viborg. This case attracted a lot of bad attention and resulted in a bad election in 1994.
In the next period, there were a number of issues, Skive Sports College closed, the Port of Skive was in financial trouble and hopes of some kind of scheduled flights from Skive Airport were dashed. At the next election in 1997, the Social Democrats lost the majority behind the mayoralty and Stavnsbjerg was not re-elected.
Sources
- Skive municipal school system – report for the school year 1971-72
- Jonna Lisa Stavnsbjerg | Kristeligt Dagblad (kristeligt-dagblad.dk)
- Mortensen Niels, Skive kommunes historie bind III, Skive Museums Forlag 2003, p. 413-415
- Skive Folkeblad 22/11-1989