Annika Billström
Encyclopedia
Annika Billström is a Swedish
social democratic
politician
. She was the first female mayor of Stockholm between 2002 and 2006.
of Handels, the Swedish Commercial Employees' Union between 1987 and 1994. She was elected to the Stockholm City Council
serving as road commissioner in 1994–98 and commissioner in opposition from 1998 to 2002.
) into student housing, which was criticised for being expensive for taxpayers.
After losing the election in 2006, Billström stepped down and was replaced by Carin Jämtin
.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
social democratic
Swedish Social Democratic Party
The Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party, , contesting elections as 'the Workers' Party – the Social Democrats' , or sometimes referred to just as 'the Social Democrats' and most commonly as Sossarna ; is the oldest and largest political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1889...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. She was the first female mayor of Stockholm between 2002 and 2006.
Background
Billström's background was as the chief financial officerChief financial officer
The chief financial officer or Chief financial and operating officer is a corporate officer primarily responsible for managing the financial risks of the corporation. This officer is also responsible for financial planning and record-keeping, as well as financial reporting to higher management...
of Handels, the Swedish Commercial Employees' Union between 1987 and 1994. She was elected to the Stockholm City Council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
serving as road commissioner in 1994–98 and commissioner in opposition from 1998 to 2002.
Mayoralty
Billström was appointed mayor of Stockholm in 2002 by the City Council after winning the municipal election and forming a majority with the Left party and the Green party. Two of her decisions as mayor in particular were controversial, the first being the new entry toll that was introduced for vehicles entering the centre of Stockholm. The toll was decided on a state-level to ensure support by the Green Party for the newly-formed Social democratic cabinet and Billström was forced to honor this agreement even though she had promised not to in the run up to the 2002 election. In 2006 a referendum was held to let the people of Stockholm determine whether they wanted the entry tolls permanented or not, with more than 51% voting yes. The entry tolls were thus enforced by the conservative majority ruling 2006–10. Billström's other decision was to turn a central building in Stockholm (Skatteskrapan på SödermalmSödermalm
Södermalm, often shortened to "Söder", is a district in central Stockholm. It covers the large island formerly called "Åsön". With a population of 99,685, it is one of the most densely populated districts of Scandinavia...
) into student housing, which was criticised for being expensive for taxpayers.
After losing the election in 2006, Billström stepped down and was replaced by Carin Jämtin
Carin Jämtin
Carin Jämtin is a Swedish Social Democratic politician and the party-Secretary of the Social Democratic Party since 26 March 2011. She was Minister for International Development Cooperation in the Swedish government between 2003 and 2006.-Early career:She has briefly studied at Stockholm...
.