Anyway, here is Janis and me just after I gave them the speech below on what I have learnt from being Mayor (so far)... (thanks to Lyndsey Fealey for the pic)
President Janis Harding and all, thank you for inviting me here today.
I promised I would give you a short speech on what I have learnt from being Mayor so far. I am now 3 months into my second year. And it’s been a roller coaster of events and experiences that I have been on! I have been to around 200 places in my role as Mayor so I have been pretty busy.
But what have I learnt? Let me think…
People like Mayors!
The office has a special place in most people’s hearts and I have been welcomed so warmly by so many people. People are charmed by the chain of office and link it shows to the past, stretching back to many previous people and past times. There is a sense of historic continuity that I think people feel good to be connected to. We live in very changeable and uncertain times. I think having a Mayor to hold on to (not literally I might add) provides a fulcrum around which the local world can turn. I emphasise here: this is about the office not me as an individual.
What goes around comes around!
I have very deliberately put myself out there as Mayor, using the power of social media to connect with people. I have tried to make myself as accessible as possible. This has meant, I think, that people have felt able to contact me about town matters and invite me to events that they might not otherwise have done. Whilst I have been proud the wear the chain and invoke a little pomp when appropriate, I have not let it get in the way of being in touch with people, and engaging in lots of conversations. I hope I have learnt about balance between formality and informality in this respect
You can never say thank you enough.
As I have said on many occasions when people ask me if it is hard being Mayor… that is just fabulous to be in a position to say thank you to people. In so many diverse ways, hundreds of local people are working selflessly for others, often in ways that nobody really sees or acknowledges. Being Mayor has meant I have often had the chance to meet some of these people and just say thanks to them for what they do. And people appreciate that. I like that they like it too! And so although I kind of knew this before, it has left a lasting imprint on me and I intend to say thank you lots more in the future than I ever did in my past.
It hasn’t all been easy!
I have a theory as to why monogamy is far more popular than polygamy and it boils down to it being the case that one person is about the maximum number of adults anyone can get on with for a decent length of time! There are seventeen town councillors and we spend a fair amount of time together around the council chamber table. People might think we fall out about political matters but generally that is not the case - it gets more personal than that. I won’t go into details here but certainly I have learnt this year that chairing a council (part of the Mayoral job) has drawn on every sinew of my leadership and facilitation skills. And my second year is not yet over. It has been my job to uphold and role model the seven Nolan principles of public life which are: Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty, and Leadership. And I have learnt that wishing everyone else would do the same is not always the best solution! But I am hoping that we will soon be through all the turbulence.
The treasures of Buckingham are in the social as well as physical spaces.
A couple of years ago we produced a small leaflet called the Hidden Treasures of Buckingham: you can download it from the town council website. It lists the special places in the town that many people might overlook. What I have learnt since being Mayor, is that many of the treasures are in social spaces not just physical ones. There are networks within networks connected to other groups and networks. Whilst to the outsider this might appear cliquey, what I have learnt is that the vast number of these networks are entirely open and welcoming to new members and supporters. You just have to knock on the door as it were.
There are some people who just like to criticise.
One of the more frustrating elements of being a public figure is that I get to hear quite a lot of people expecting ‘the council’ to sort everything out and/or just criticising the current state of affairs, or just moaning. But I have met enough people during the last 15 months to know that there are many who roll up their sleeves and take responsibility and make things happen. But I take on board what people say while always looking for ways to encourage more people to get involved in being part of the solution. Sometimes people just need a nudge… Only last week I was chatting with a school governor who explained to me that his governing body was short of a couple of people. I said perhaps they could put together a job advert and post this on social media… someone out there might then respond. So I have learnt this year, more than ever, don’t moan - act!
Most people are not cynical, disengaged and despairing.
Admittedly it is a not a random mix of people I meet as mayor. But I do know that I have met many many people thoroughly committed to making changes happen and doing their bit for others in so many ways. Whilst it is not difficult to say ‘mammamiya’ in response to events happening nationally and internationally… locally I see a community alive with dynamic thinking people. And it is great to be a part of such a vibrant community!
Mayoral themes work.
I set my theme this year as being all about imagination. I concluded that my theme of last year (ambition) needed imagination to complement it. So I have been looking for all the ways I can to encourage, praise and celebrate efforts by people to use their imagination and/or inspire others to do so. And it is going really well! It has been good to have a theme to focus my thoughts and actions on, and shape discussions with people about the future. And it seems to me that the ‘Imagination Quotient’ - the ImQ as I call it - of Buckingham is high and going even higher!
So I have learnt lots and I am still learning. And I am learning how to write speeches more quickly too!!
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