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Doncaster's maverick mayor seeks second term Doncaster's maverick mayor seeks second term
(5 months later)
On Thursday Doncaster will decide whether to keep its maverick mayor, 70-year-old Peter Davies, who hit the headlines upon election four years ago by immediately slashing his own salary from £73,000 to £30,000 and announcing plans to wave "auf wiedersehen" to five twin towns and cut council funding for gay pride.On Thursday Doncaster will decide whether to keep its maverick mayor, 70-year-old Peter Davies, who hit the headlines upon election four years ago by immediately slashing his own salary from £73,000 to £30,000 and announcing plans to wave "auf wiedersehen" to five twin towns and cut council funding for gay pride.
Davies, whose son Philip is the similarly single-minded Conservative MP for Shipley, stood in 2009 as an English Democrat, but resigned from the nationalist party in February over the number of British National party members joining the ranks. This time he is running as an independent, hoping that his boast to have "consigned politically correct rubbish to the dustbin" will appeal to the straight-talking folk of his home town.Davies, whose son Philip is the similarly single-minded Conservative MP for Shipley, stood in 2009 as an English Democrat, but resigned from the nationalist party in February over the number of British National party members joining the ranks. This time he is running as an independent, hoping that his boast to have "consigned politically correct rubbish to the dustbin" will appeal to the straight-talking folk of his home town.
Being mayor has been harder than he thought it would be, Davies admits. "On my first day in office, I cut my salary, axed the mayoral car and sacked the chauffeur and thought, this is great, it's like shelling nuts. But while it was easy to make changes affecting myself, getting a decision through council was like wading through treacle. Six months after I had ordered the severing of the twin town agreements it still hadn't been done, though it has now."Being mayor has been harder than he thought it would be, Davies admits. "On my first day in office, I cut my salary, axed the mayoral car and sacked the chauffeur and thought, this is great, it's like shelling nuts. But while it was easy to make changes affecting myself, getting a decision through council was like wading through treacle. Six months after I had ordered the severing of the twin town agreements it still hadn't been done, though it has now."
He wishes he had more executive power, he says, so the Labour council could not railroad his decisions. And he would like to be able to choose his cabinet from outside of the Labour councillor genepool. But after many discussions with his son, he has decided that being mayor is still "a far more interesting job than being a backbench MP".He wishes he had more executive power, he says, so the Labour council could not railroad his decisions. And he would like to be able to choose his cabinet from outside of the Labour councillor genepool. But after many discussions with his son, he has decided that being mayor is still "a far more interesting job than being a backbench MP".
Davies's hugely popular gesture of cutting his salary has led to a Dutch auction between the other candidates. Labour's great hope, 63-year-old councillor and accountant Ros Jones, says she would accept £30,000 and would go one step further by forgoing the free mayoral parking space at the council's shiny new HQ. Mary Jackson, standing for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (Tusc), has vowed to take the average Doncaster wage, £23,000, as has Doug Wright, an independent who was branch secretary of Unison for 30 years.Davies's hugely popular gesture of cutting his salary has led to a Dutch auction between the other candidates. Labour's great hope, 63-year-old councillor and accountant Ros Jones, says she would accept £30,000 and would go one step further by forgoing the free mayoral parking space at the council's shiny new HQ. Mary Jackson, standing for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (Tusc), has vowed to take the average Doncaster wage, £23,000, as has Doug Wright, an independent who was branch secretary of Unison for 30 years.
Davies's opponents say he is a poor leader interested in power, not Doncaster. David Allen, standing for the English Democrats, is particularly scathing, saying: "Peter is only really interested in the office. He won as an English Democrat and yet as soon as he got into office he ditched any loyalty to us."Davies's opponents say he is a poor leader interested in power, not Doncaster. David Allen, standing for the English Democrats, is particularly scathing, saying: "Peter is only really interested in the office. He won as an English Democrat and yet as soon as he got into office he ditched any loyalty to us."
Allen, who came second in last year's police and crime commissioner elections in South Yorkshire, believes that Davies won as an English Democrat, not as a charismatic individual. He sees the election as a four-way race between himself, Davies, Labour's Jones and Mick Maye, a local market trader who won the most first-preference votes in 2009 but lost to Davies in the second round of counting.Allen, who came second in last year's police and crime commissioner elections in South Yorkshire, believes that Davies won as an English Democrat, not as a charismatic individual. He sees the election as a four-way race between himself, Davies, Labour's Jones and Mick Maye, a local market trader who won the most first-preference votes in 2009 but lost to Davies in the second round of counting.
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