Parkanon City Manager Aki Viitasaari to Resign, Will Receive €91,000 Severance

Aki Viitasaari intends to resign and would receive about €91,000 in severance, with the city board set to decide on the agreement on Thursday, according to YLE.

City board chair Susanne Talonen-Seppälä declined to disclose the reasons, saying an overall assessment found conditions for continued cooperation were not sufficient. The payout equals roughly nine months' salary under his executive contract. It would be paid in addition to notice pay and compensation for unused holiday. The resignation would take effect once the board approves the agreement; his two-month notice period is scheduled to begin on 19 November. The draft agreement says both parties have agreed not to comment publicly about the resignation or the reasons behind it.

Viitasaari began his post in June 2023 on a seven-year fixed-term contract due to run until 2030. He is no longer carrying out the duties of the office. Administrative and financial director Aleksi Saukkoriipi is handling those tasks. Viitasaari previously faced a loss-of-confidence dismissal in Akaa in 2017, a case that went through several courts and resulted in substantial compensation ordered by the Court of Appeal.