Ellen Trane Nørby ends mayor bid

Ellen Trane Nørby, the second-largest vote-getter in Sønderborg at the last municipal election, has decided not to pursue her mayoral dream. Venstre Søborg announced on Facebook that they have a new mayoral candidate, Jimmy Simonsen, ahead of a formal nomination meeting. Simonsen, 54, has been the spokesperson for children and education for Venstre in the previous council term. Nørby looks forward to more family time and a better work-life balance, with her political role becoming less dominant. Despite garnering 5,824 personal votes, she had not succeeded in unseating the Social Democratic mayor, Erik Lauritzen, who has held the position since 2013. After the 2021 election, Nørby became the second deputy mayor and the leader of Venstre’s council group. She will not run in the next parliamentary election and has called for new leadership in the municipality, favoring partnership and responsible economic management to enhance core welfare services.