Otterøy
# Otterøy

Otterøy is a former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The 272-square-kilometre (105 sq mi) municipality existed from 1913 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located in the what is now the municipality of Namsos in Trøndelag county. The former municipality included most of the island of Otterøya (the part south of Tømmervikfjellet mountain), the island of Hoddøya, the southwestern part of the island of Elvalandet, and some of the mainland southwest of Otterøya and Hoddøya. The area contains good farmland and also good salmon fishing. The main church for the area is Otterøy Church.

## History

The municipality of Otterøy was established on 1 January 1913 when it was split off from the municipality of Fosnes. Initially, Otterøy had a population of 1,631. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Otterøy was dissolved and split between two neighboring municipalities, dividing roughly along the Namsenfjorden. All of Otterøy that was located on the mainland south of the Namsenfjord (population: 571) was merged into the municipality of Namdalseid. All of Otterøy that was on the island of Otterøya and the island of Hoddøya (population: 1,013) became a part of the municipality of Namsos.

### Name

The municipality is named after the island of Otterøya (Old Norse: Otrøy) since the island made up a large portion of the municipality. The first element is otr which means "otter". The last element is øy which means "island". Originally, the name was spelled Otterøen until the early 20th century when it changed to Otterøy.

## Government

While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elected a mayor.

### Municipal council

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Otterøy was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Otterøy herredsstyre 1960–1963 :

| Party Name (in Norwegian) | Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| - | - | - |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 4 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 3 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 6 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 13 |

Otterøy herredsstyre 1956–1959 :

| Party Name (in Norwegian) | Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| - | - | - |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 2 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 5 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 6 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 13 |

Otterøy herredsstyre 1952–1955 :

| Party Name (in Norwegian) | Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| - | - | - |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 2 |
| | List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) | 2 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 8 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |

Otterøy herredsstyre 1948–1951 :

| Party Name (in Norwegian) | Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| - | - | - |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 3 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 4 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 5 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |

Otterøy herredsstyre 1945–1947 :

| Party Name (in Norwegian) | Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| - | - | - |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 3 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 3 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 6 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |

Otterøy herredsstyre 1938–1941* :

| Party Name (in Norwegian) | Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| - | - | - |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 4 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 8 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
| Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945. |||

### Mayors

The mayors of Otterøy:

* 1913–1916: Peter Øien
* 1917–1919: Ole Hovik Gårdbruker (V)
* 1920–1934: Jørgen Ludvig Ekker (Bp)
* 1935–1942: Jørgen Johannessen Ekker (V)
* 1942–1943: Sigurd Kvalstad (NS)
* 1943–1944: Vilhelm Øien (NS)
* 1944–1945: Bjarne Skavdal (NS)
* 1945-1945: Jørgen Johannessen Ekker (V)
* 1946–1947: Olav Bruknapp (KrF)
* 1948–1951: Otto Ekker (Bp)
* 1952–1955: Sverre Sørvig (H)
* 1956–1959: Erling Skorstad (Bp)
* 1960–1963: Job Hodø (Sp)
