South Wales Evening Post - 9 March 2007
Swansea Councillors have dumped Deputy Lord Mayor Ioan Richard from the role of Lord Mayor for the coming year.
Councillor Richard had been set to be elected Lord Mayor by his fellow councillors last night. In a break from protocol he did not win enough support to take over from the current Lord Mayor, Council Leader Chris Holley.
A nomination for Councillor Richard Lewis also failed to gain support, and councillors instead voted for Councillor Susan Waller.
Councillor Gareth Sullivan was elected as the Deputy Lord Mayor.
Council protocol says that the Deputy Lord Mayor should take over from the Lord Mayor after 12 months in the position. However, there had been widespread unrest among a number of opposition councillors following an email sent by Councillor Ioan Richard calling for trench warfare over plans to change the chairmanships of committees.
Councillor Richard later apologised to his council colleagues, and resigned from his position as chairman of the licensing committee.
When the vote came at a full council meeting it was defeated by 30 to 28 as Labour and Conservative members voted against his nomination. A second vote for Councillor Richard Lewis also fell when just four members of the council backed him.
Councillor Rene Kinzett, who voted against Councillor Richard, said a compromise deal had been on the table, but in the end nothing could be agreed.
He said: "The leaders of the groups met with the leader of the council to make it known there was unease with the candidates put forward."
In the end Councillor Waller received a unanimous vote to take over as Lord Mayor. She was nominated as the next longest serving member of the council.
Councillor Waller, who is a member of the ruling coalition at Swansea Council with Councillor Richard, said: "This should be a happy occasion, but instead it's a very sad one."
