It was a bit of a stretch that Karen Sandrini (S) would pursue becoming a mayoral candidate for her party in Esbjerg Municipality when the position became vacant. But despite being the Social Democrat who received the second most votes in the 2021 municipal election, she chose not to do so.
- I already announced to the city council group in August 2024 that I would not be a mayoral candidate. It takes longer to prepare than six months to overthrow a sitting mayor, says Karen Sandrini, who actually believes that one year is not enough for the task.
But Karen Sandrini is clearly not afraid of new challenges, because after 20 years as a teacher, 18 of which at the same school in her hometown of Ribe in Esbjerg Municipality, she has now accepted a position as sustainability manager at the Port of Esbjerg on a one-year contract.
This happened even though she was actually applying for a completely different position as project execution lead at the port. But after the interview, the 45-year-old politician received a call from Esbjerg Port Director Dennis Jul Pedersen, and he had a completely different job offer.
- Dennis called and offered me the job as sustainability manager because I talked a lot about sustainability during the interview, and I knew the port already, says Karen Sandrini, who has experience with the area from her time as chairman of the planning and environment committee in Esbjerg Municipality during the previous city council term.
In fact, the politician kept it very close to her heart that she had applied for the job.
- No one from the city council knew that I had applied for the job, and it was my daughter, my brother and a friend who knew, she says.
The plan
The Port of Esbjerg is facing an expansion that will mean that a larger area will have to be dammed, and Karen Sandrini is already looking at options to make it more sustainable.
- There are 500,000 tons of clay and sediment deposits that need to be disposed of. It needs to be investigated how it can be disposed of. What are the options? For example, using it more environmentally friendly as silt for dikes or other places, she says and points to another focus area:
- It could be improving the water quality in the port. It could be with mussel beds or conifer grass, where there is space, because 200 ships enter the port every day. We have an obligation to ensure that there is life in the port, while at the same time we have an obligation to reduce CO2 emissions.
This could include getting more ships to use the shore power that the port has. Today, 25 percent of the ships use that option.
Will use networks
As an experienced politician, she also wants to use the network that she has. In fact, she has already done so regarding dredging, where the seabed is dug up from ports and shipping channels and sailed out to sea.
- What does the port do with dredging? Can we do it in other ways than sailing it 40 km out to sea, asks Karen Sandrini, who has already contacted her S colleague Dan Jørgensen, the EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing.
Karen Sandrini also already has other good ideas where she can draw on her teaching experience.
- I would like to reach out to educational institutions from universities to primary schools and get students down to the port. It is also my job to be informative about the port, she explains.
It is something she has bigger ideas about.
- The young people must know more about the port. The more you know, the prouder you become of the port. It can also help to secure the future workforce for the port. The young people are welcome to come here out of respect and love for the place, says Karen Sandrini.
Her contract as sustainability manager at the Port of Esbjerg is currently for one year, but she insists that the future is here.
- I am so happy about it that I think I will be married to my work, says Karen Sandrini and makes one thing clear:
- I am not going back to be a teacher.
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