Your say / mayoral referendum
‘Bristol’s councillors are trying to pilfer your power by getting rid of a mayor’
As an elected mayor, I’m qualified to tell you to be very wary of politicians! They’re a self-serving bunch who crave power. What’s worse is that they want power without being answerable to the public.
Right now, you good people of Bristol have the right to choose your own leader and who runs the council: the mayor.
But Bristol’s sneaky councillors are actually trying to pilfer your power and quietly control everything that goes on.
is needed now More than ever
This clumsy attempt at political burglary by local busybodies would actually be quite amusing if it didn’t have serious consequences for the city of Bristol.
Elected mayors become very well known, which is incredibly difficult for them and their families. But it’s really great news for the public because it increases accountability.
I’m accosted whenever I visit Tesco, church or to watch the Boro. People bombard me with problems and questions and this makes everyday life exhausting – but I’m fine with it because it’s a privilege to serve people.
The public know who I am. And they watch my every move – so I have to deliver on my promises and I have to fight, tirelessly, to make their lives better. This accountability often keeps me awake at night.
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Read more: Everything you need to know about Bristol’s mayoral referendum
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I know who Marvin Rees is. This is because he’s the mayor of Bristol.
Who are the leaders of Birmingham or Leeds councils? I have no idea and I bet you don’t either. That’s because they’re relatively invisible and council leaders who aren’t mayors can often hide from problems and the public.
The mayor of Bristol gives your great city a voice that travels across the country and this is great news for investment, city pride and tourism.
Bristol would be in much worse shape without an elected mayor.
Please don’t sit back and let councillors take away your right to choose who runs Bristol City Council.
The mayoral referendum offers you a simple choice: After Marvin Rees has gone, do you want to retain highly visible and accountable leadership or do you want ambiguous decision making by unknown councillors?
Andy Preston is the elected mayor of Middlesbrough, who was voted into power in 2019 with 59 per cent of the vote after running as an independent
At 7pm on Tuesday, Bristol24/7 is hosting a Twitter Space hearing from all sides in the mayoral referendum debate:
Main photo: Jess Connett
Read more:
- ‘The mayoral model creates a politics where sycophancy is rewarded and challenge is suppressed’
- ‘Bristol needs a commitment to collaboration’
- ‘We need scrutiny, we need accountability and we need transparency’
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
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