The longtime mayor Peter Brixtofte was involved in a financial scandal that became the focus of national scrutiny in 2002. He was forced to resign after being implicated in a variety of corruption. He had been mayor since 1985 and had presided over what first appeared as a successful revitalization of the community with extended public services, including the establishment of a large sports arena, under-cover grants to the local football association, and "well-being trips", free holiday trips to the Mediterranean for senior citizens. Brixtofte's policy of forcing the unemployed to work in return for benefits was first controversial but has since become a nationwide rule. Another way of creating funds was to sell off public services and lease them back. In June 2006 Brixtofte was sentenced to two years prison.