Ogre Municipality Explains Hiring of Former Jelgava District Head Lasmanis
Former Jelgava district council chairman Madars Lasmanis has been appointed head of the Strategic Planning Department in Ogre municipality. The municipality says he met the requirements and applied himself.
Andris Krauja (NA), the head of Ogre municipality, has explained the appointment of former Jelgava district council chairman Madars Lasmanis (LA) as head of the Strategic Planning Department. According to Krauja, Lasmanis applied for the position himself, and the personnel department evaluated his education, competences, and experience in municipal work, concluding that he met the requirements.
The Strategic Planning Department was established in the Ogre municipality council in 2024. Its first head was former Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Defense Jānis Eglīts (NA), who held the position until June this year when he left to take up a mandate as a Saeima deputy. The department also employs another Jānis Eglīts as a strategic planning specialist, as well as Nauris Vējonis, the son of former President Raimonds Vējonis.
Lasmanis resigned as chairman of Jelgava district council on April 3, 2024, following an ethics scandal. During a remote budget committee meeting, a video showed Lasmanis in a car touching a woman's foot that appeared between the front seats. Several deputies demanded his dismissal, but Lasmanis stepped down before the scheduled meeting.
Upon resigning, Lasmanis apologized to colleagues and the public, promising to work to restore his reputation. He acknowledged that a person in a public office must avoid situations open to interpretation.
