Page 17 - Phonebox Magazine June 2007

Councillor Corner
A contribution from Councillor Steve Clark
New Faces
Former Olney Town Mayor Paul Watson announced that he would not be seeking re- election to that office at the Annual Town Meeting on Friday 11th May. Paul carried out his Mayoral duties with great enthusiasm, but also with great professionalism and dignity. He will be a hard act to follow! John Smail, who had been Paul’s deputy for the past year, was elected as the new Town Mayor at the council meeting held on Monday 14th May. One of John’s first announcements was that, unlike his predecessor, he had no intention of running in the London Marathon! John Sharp was elected as the new Deputy Mayor. The first function carried out by the new Mayor and his Deputy was to attend the election of the new Milton Keynes Mayor and Deputy. The new Mayor for Milton
Keynes, Liberal Democrat councillor Mike Barry, was elected at the council’s Annual Meeting on Tuesday 15th May. Mike had been deputy to the retiring Mayor, Brin Carstens, for the past year. The new Deputy Mayor is Labour councillor Jan Lloyd.
Local Elections
Congratulations to my colleague Sam Potts who was elected as the new Liberal Democrat councillor for Sherington ward in the recent local elections. Sam was selected for the seat after former councillor Pat Seymour decided it was time to retire from the role after an impressive fourteen years of devoted service to her constituents. Sam managed to retain the seat for the Liberal Democrats, after a hectic campaign. The turn-out in Sherington ward was the highest of any of the seats up for election at a
creditable 59.4%. Sam put in a great deal of effort to hold on to Sherington in the face of some very negative campaigning from the Conservatives.
There were no dramatic changes following this latest round of local
elections in Milton
Keynes.
Seventeen (one third) of the fifty-one seats were up for election this year, with the Liberal Democrat group defending nine seats and Labour and the Conservatives defending four each. In the end, the Conservatives gained two seats, taking one from the Liberal Democrats and one from Labour. The Liberal Democrats remain the largest group on the council with twenty-two seats with the Conservatives on fifteen and Labour on fourteen. There are a number of new faces on the council following the elections, with four new Liberal Democrat councillors and two new Conservative councillors. In addition, former MP Brian White returned as a Labour councillor. All seventeen seats were contested by the three main parties and also UKIP. The Green Party contested six seats and there were also two Independents.
The Liberal Democrat group unanimously re- elected Isobel McCall as leader shortly after the elections. Both of the opposition parties now have new leaders with Andrew Geary taking over from Ruth Jury in the Conservative group and Kevin Wilson returning to lead the Labour group after the sudden resignation of Nigel Long. Nigel Long’s resignation means that the electors of Whaddon ward now face a by-election on 28th June. K
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CONTACT INFORMATION
Cllr Stephen Clark, 32 Dagnall Road, Olney, Bucks MK46 5BJ
Telephone, SMS text or fax: 01234 711743*
Or email: stephen.clark@milton-keynes.gov.uk
*You can now contact me by SMS text message to the number above.
Steve congratulating Sam after his victory in Sherington ward (Photo: Graham Mabbutt)