Independence not bloody likely

We were led to believe that the Mayoral referendum would be free of political interference, how wrong we were!

Councillor Swift said the political independence of the mayor was an advantage of the system.

Her comments in the echo on May 31st show how this is not the case
New mayor believes an elected mayor would be "terrible" for the town.
Councillor Swift said: "This system is beneficial to the public, as often these long-standing councillors relate better to the local community." This, after the fiascos of Hurworth School, Tesco and the Pedestrian Heart to name but a few. I do not think that councilor Swift or her colleagues would know how to relate to the local communities anymore, for so long they have done as they choose and ignored Darlington residents.

She then goes on to insult all those that care enough about the town to campaign against the councils ‘do as you are told’ attitude towards us lesser mortals, by claiming "There are a lot of single-issue groups out there who will probably disappear into the woodwork when those issues have been resolved."

If Councillor Swift cannot carry out her role with the political independence that she claims is a plus, should she not pass on the role to someone who can.