To consider nominations for the appointment of Mayor of the Borough of Rushcliffe for the 2024/25 Civic Year.
After the vote on the election of Mayor has been carried, the new Mayor, upon making the declaration of acceptance of office, will take the Chair for the remainder of the meeting.
Minutes:
It was proposed by Councillor R Walker that Councillor Brown be elected as Mayor of the Borough of Rushcliffe for the civic year 2024/25.
Councillor Walker stated that he was delighted to be asked to nominate Councillor Brown again after his nomination for the position of Deputy Mayor last year had earnt him several rebukes due to the inclusion of aviation puns. Councillor Walker stated that this year he was choosing instead to focus on Councillor Brown’s love of Rugby Union because if you had heard one Rugby Union pun you had heard ‘em-maul! Councillor Walker listed the core values of Rugby Union to be teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship; all values that he saw in Councillor Brown and all directly relevant to serving as Mayor. As good ‘ruck’ would have it, Councillor Walker personally testified that Councillor Brown was an excellent teammate citing their working relationship across the Gotham ward and his personal support during recent challenging times. Councillor Brown was also respectful and accustomed to avoiding needless ‘scrums’, genuinely listening to concerns, empathising with circumstances, and ‘tackling’ problems with steely determination.
Councillor Walker stated that Councillor Brown was enjoying the second half of his political career and was relishing serving the community that he loved. He informed Council that watching all those rugby matches had instilled in Councillor Brown the ability to control his emotions, which made him well prepared for chairing Council meetings firmly yet fairly, and referred to the value of sportsmanship which underpinned all that. Councillor Brown understood the privilege of office and the corresponding duty involved in being the First Citizen of the Borough; and Councillor Walker felt that he would make a fine ambassador for the Council, the Borough and its communities.
In seconding the recommendation, Councillor Barney focused on Councillor Brown’s professional background as an engineer, a role which had enabled him to travel extensively. He also mentioned Councillor Brown’s more recent role as a driving instructor, his passion for music and all things aviation related. Councillor Barney informed Council of Councillor Brown’s work on a local radio station, his position on the Airport Consultative Committee, his extensive charity work, and his love of the local community. He described Councillor Brown as a man of great conviction, determination, and compassion. In conclusion, Councillor Barney urged Council to support the nomination of Councillor Brown to the position of Mayor where he felt sure he would serve with humility, be impartial in his decisions and act in kindness.
It was RESOLVED that Councillor Brown be elected as Mayor of the Borough of Rushcliffe for the civic year 2024/25.
Councillor Brown then read and signed the declaration of acceptance of office and after thanking his proposer, seconder, and fellow Councillors, took the Chair and was invested with the Chain of Office.
The Mayor welcomed past mayors and invited guests to the meeting before paying tribute to the hard work of his predecessor, Councillor Mason. He claimed that she would be a hard act to follow and thanked his proposer and seconder for their kind words.
The Mayor outlined his intention to visit all corners of the Borough through his year in office, celebrating 50 years of the Borough as well as drawing attention to its wonderful residents. He thanked his nominated Cadet from 209 Squadron in West Bridgford in advance for his assistance with his fund raising attempts this year. Councillor Brown spoke passionately about his chosen charity, explaining the decision to support SSAFA as a result of both his own experiences and a chance meeting with Chris Lewis, an ex-paratrooper walking the entire length of the UK coastline to raise money for SSAFA and highlighted the difficulties of ex-service personnel in re-entering civilian life. The Mayor invited Council and invited guests to visit the SSAFA stall in the foyer after the meeting and outlined some of the fund-raising events he was planning for his year in office. He also made it clear that any references to Madam Mayor or interrupting mobiles would be subject to a charity donation.