National Politics
In 1977, he was elected to the Parliament of Norway from Hedmark, and he was re-elected in 1981, 1985 and 1989. He served as President of the Lagting from 10 to 18 December 1979. When Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland formed her Second Cabinet in 1986, Borgen became Minister of Transport and Communications. He remained so until 13 June 1988, when he became Norwegian Minister of Local Government and Labour.
According to Tore Lindholt, who released a book about the Norwegian State Railways in 1990, the same year as he served as acting director-general for the second time, Borgen was instrumental in removing Robert Nordén as director-general of the State Railways. Borgen asked Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland to have Nordén removed, and when Brundtland gave the green light, Borgen told this to then-assisting director-general Lindholt over the telephone. Borgen also became slightly controversial due to the Oslo Airport localization debate. A decision to choose Hurum as the site of the new Oslo Airport was the reason for Borgen's withdrawal as Minister of Transport.
Borgen lost his position as Minister of Local Government and Labour when Brundtland's Second Cabinet fell in 1989. When Brundtland's Third Cabinet returned in 1990, Borgen returned as well, only under a slightly different name: Minister of Local Government. He made his exit in September 1992, and sat through his last term in Parliament, to 1993. While Borgen was Minister, his seat in Parliament was taken by Ingrid Nylund and Grethe Fossum.
Borgen finished his career with the position as County Governor of Hedmark from 1993. When Borgen died in August 1996, Ola Skjølaas became Acting County Governor.
Read more about this topic: Kjell Borgen
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