Minutes:
The Mayor invited the Leader of the Council, Councillor J A Kite MBE to propose a vote of thanks to the retiring Mayor.
Councillor Kite firstly congratulated the newly elected Mayoral Party and wished them well in the forthcoming year. He thanked the new Mayor for his unstinting support to his predecessor in what had been another challenging year for the Council, local government and the nation as a whole, during the end of the Pandemic and aftermath. He expressed his utmost confidence that Councillor Cutler with his own quiet style, modesty and ethos of hard work, would enjoy an outstanding term in office.
Councillor Kite then congratulated the retiring Mayor, Councillor Rosanna Currans, for another outstanding term in office which had again demonstrated her unique people skills across the whole social and political spectrum. Her warmth and willingness to listen and empathise with all viewpoints, allied to her innate ability to consistently bring those viewpoints together in a constructive and meaningful way for the benefit of the Dartford community as a whole, in the difficult circumstances of the Pandemic and its aftermath, was to be highly commended.
He reminded Members that Councillor Currans was not a political animal by nature, having come relatively late to local politics through her championing of local issues as a resident; in particular her securing of a significant compensation payment from a national energy company for its inadequate service to Dartford residents during a sustained power failure. Her continued performance as Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Councillor and Ward Member was all the more praiseworthy set against that background, and the Leader was particularly grateful for Councillor Curran’s willingness to again serve as Deputy Mayor in the ensuing municipal year, and looked forward to welcoming her back in the following year as Mayor, which he felt sure would not be her last in either role.
Finally, the Leader of the Council paid tribute to the continued and outstanding support provided by Mrs Corinna Bailey, as the Mayor’s Escort in the past year, which he was sure would continue to be the case in the ensuing year.
The Shadow Leader of the Council, Councillor K J Grehan, expressed her best wishes to the new Mayoral and his Mayoral Party and looked forward to working with him in a constructive and co-operative manner during his term in office.
She then paid tribute to the outgoing Mayor, Councillor Rosanna Currans, who had enjoyed an outstanding term in office during the last municipal year. She greatly admired and appreciated Councillor Currans peoples skills, which she had experienced on several occasions in the past year, most notably at an International Women’s Day event, when Councillor Currans had excelled, talked freely to all participants irrespective of social standing or political viewpoint, and had skilfully brought the proceedings to a successful conclusion with her closing speech. She looked forward to working in collaboration with Councillor Currans in her forthcoming role as Deputy Mayor.
Councillor Laura Edie, Leader of the Alliance Group, also congratulated the new Mayor and his Mayoral party, and expressed her own gratitude and admiration of the performance of the outgoing Mayor for her performance during the last municipal cycle. In particular, Councillor Edie praised Councillor Currans’ and her Escort Mrs Corinna Bailey’s outstanding work with local charities in a particularly challenging COVID and post-Pandemic environment, and she looked forward to working with them both again in the ensuing municipal year.
Finally, Councillor Patsy Thurlow, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Arts & Culture expressed her best wishes to the incoming Mayor and thanked the outgoing Mayor for another successful year in office. Councillor Thurlow had been part of the Mayor’s Charity Committee during her last term in office, and could personally testify to Councillor Curran’s extraordinary efforts and success, in securing significant funding for the sector.
The vote of thanks was seconded by Councillor C J Shippam who echoed the sentiments expressed by the Leader of the Council and sent his best wishes to the new Mayor and Mayoress, and to the Deputy Mayor and her Escort for the coming year.
The Motion was put to the vote and it was
RESOLVED:
That sincere thanks and appreciation be accorded to Councillor R M Currans for another outstanding year as Mayor.
The Leader of the Council, Councillor J A Kite then presented Councillor Rosanna Currans with a bouquet of flowers and some gift vouchers on behalf of the Council in recognition of her service as Mayor in the preceding municipal year with his renewed thanks.
The Shadow Leader of the Council, Councillor K J Grehan then presented a bouquet of flowers to the outgoing Mayor’s Escort, Mrs Corinna Bailey.