- My name is Pertti. My family may occasionally call me Pepe.
- I’m 34 years old and I live in Tampere, Finland.
- I’ve graduated with a major in physics. I was good at it and wanted to know how the world works.
- I used to work as a software developer, but now I’m unemployed.
- In my free time I play video games, although election season has kept me too busy to play much.
- I volunteer for the Finnish Red Cross, teaching Finnish to immigrants.
- I’m interested in philosophy, social sciences and history.
Professional history
- Between 2009-2015, I studied physics at the University of Jyväskylä. I graduated with a master’s degree in 2015, with minors in mathematics and computer science.
- Between 2016-2022 I worked for the Finnish bureau of Statistics. I did coding for the business register and other applications used in statistics production.
- I’ve been unemployed since 2022. I’ve found it important to focus on my health and my family, and I’ve had a wonderful time. I’ve got an outline for a novel that I’m hoping to return to after the elections.
Political views
I’ve been a member of the Finnish Green Party since 2011. I was a candidate in the 2012 municipal election in Jyväskylä, where I received 14 votes. When I moved to Helsinki for work in 2016 (for the years that then became the Trump presidency, Covid and the Russian invasion of Ukraine), I did not participate in Helsinki-local politics. I didn’t do enough to find a community for myself and eventually got tired and unhappy at work. Sick leave and unemployment have been privileged time for me, allowing me time and energy to take better care of myself. Now I am a candidate for the Tampere Greens in the 2025 municipal election.
My political views are left leaning. I want society to transition from the current fossil fuel powered economy towards a sustainable society, based on more responsible consumption of natural resources and powered by clean, renewable energy.
Tampere is an excellent city for families both with or without children, welcoming to refugees and immigrants and safe for everyone. The city is going to continue growing and managing this growth in a manner that is both environmentally and socially sustainable is going to be the biggest task facing the new city council.
I am going to write about local politics and more broadly on the world. Writing is purposeful.