What prompted you to stand as an elected Mayor?
I had been an advocate of this
system of local government for many years and when my own
borough adopted it I felt I should offer myself as a
potential mayor based on my
previous experience as both council leaders and chair of the
local hospital board.
What is your greatest achievement as Mayor?
Getting the basics right - our roads and refuse
collection were both in a mess when I took over and they are
now greatly improved.What
difference can an elected Mayor make to a community?
It is about making the hard
choices but being prepared to listen and explain to
local people what is being done. In times of crisis
the mayor must offer visible
leadership.
What is the main difference between an elected Mayor and
a traditional
Mayor?
The system here is much clearer - I am the person who
provides leadership - sometimes
its about tough decisions on taxes and services -
other times it is about opening a local nursery -
both things matter and those
community events help you to make better decisions too.
Will you be standing for re-election?
I've been re-elected once already
and with the next election in 2010 it is much too soon to
say whether I will run a third
time.
Mayor's biog
Mayor's website |
