The new Bridport mayor took the chains of office from the outgoing mayor at an inauguration ceremony yesterday evening at the town hall. The procession started in the main room at Bridport's historical town hall built in 1785. The mayors chaplain opened the proceedings with a prayer and about 50 invited guests and attended town councillors said the lord's prayer together.
In a short speech the town Chaplain Janis Moore wished the new to be elected mayor "wisdom, truth and strength" and asked to do "the best for this town" for his oncoming reign.
Mayor Martin Ray fulfilled his last duty as the previous mayor and stated "a very big thank you" to the people of Bridport and the town councillors.
After an election by the town councillors the new mayor is Geoff Ackerman. Both, old and new mayor then went into the council chamber and swapped the red robe and the big golden mayor chain.
Mayor Geoff Ackerman thanks councillors for his election and announces his two charities of the year:
The deputy mayor elected by the majority of councillors is Maggie Ray again for another reign. In her speech she points out, that Geoff Ackerman came out top at the last poll election.
Election of the leader of the council takes part. Nominated was Councillor D.G. Rickard.
After the appointement of the town mayor's chaplain reverend Janis Moore and the appointedment of the town mayor's parade commander the ceremony is over and a light snack and some drinks were served. All in all a very respectable venue.
Now is it just me, or do the same two or three people rotate through the Mayor’s job year after year? What we need is fresh blood with NEW ideas! … Ahemm … This is where I come in. I would be happy to stand for the Mayor’s office next year. My policies would include removal of any VAT on ammunition, gun oil dispensors in public lavatories, and absolutely no trees allowed in ‘target zones’, .. sorry I meant to write the’ main streets of Bridport’. Long live tHe bAt
You’re right. The only time anyone apart from the old stalworts want the Mayor’s job, which involves going to endless “”chain gang”” ceremonies all over Dorset, more or less at your own expense, (how dull can it be!) is when there is an election year and self interest enters into it. Then one or two locals wake up and realise that they can get extra publicity for their own or their Party’s election campaigns by being pictured in the papers doing endless dull stuff. The normal process is to serve as Deputy Mayor for a year first and to do that you have to plan in advance rather than moan and groan and say you have a right! That is why the Tories failed to win the General Election. They think they were born to rule. But most people in this country think you have to earn it. Furthermore why public servants on fat pensions at the expense of the taxpayers and district and county councillors paid fat allowances at the expense of the same long suffering taxpayers think they need honours over and above what they have been paid to do beats me. Councillor Akerman has worked extremely hard free of charge for a very long time and recently for a derisory pittance in service of the public and long may he continue to do so. The other candidate despite taking a fortune in expenses and pensions from the public purse even voted on principle against the pittance awarded to Cllr Ackerman when the Town Council decided on £10 per week councillors allowance. We are all very lucky that Cllr Ackerman actually wants to do this job and does it so well.
Nooo, we’re not lucky, we are BORED! The same people year after year!??! Vote for ME tHe bAT!! I will do it and I will make it different and fun! If there isn’t any interest beyond two or three people to do the job, what’s the point in continuing with it? No one cares who the Mayor is ‘cos they belong to the past. I could be a NEW type of Mayor, handing out random summary justice throughout the streets of Bridport. Vote for JUSTICE .. Vote bAt!!