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Mayor Cllr Jean Willis and Deputy Mayor Cllr Malcolm Connolly

A NEW Mayor and deputy were elected for Fordingbridge at a town council meeting on Wednesday evening.

Cllr Jean Willis took up the chains of her new office on Monday, a role that is not new to her.

She has served on the town council for more than a decade and has previously been mayor of Fordingbridge as well as chairman of the council.

Her other roles include member of the board of trustees for Fordingbridge Museum, Secretary of Fordingbridge Afternoon Women's Institute and secretary of the British legion of Fordingbridge.


Important to see hospital reopen


Cllr Willis told the Forest Journal: "I think that the most important thing for Fordingbridge is to see our hospital reopen and I think it's getting there.

"It's certainly going to happen, but we don't know when."

And with support from husband Terry Cllr Willis intends to get stuck in to her duties to make Fordingbridge a lovely place to live.

"The general purposes committee has just finished doing the Town Hall up and it looks very attractive and we are hoping to upgrade the recreation ground, which is an on going project.

"There's always something going on."

She continued: "My role is to represent Fordingbridge to the best of my ability and to make people realise we are here.

"And it's the councillors who do things and I think my role is to gather the forces."

Cllr Malcolm Connolly was elected to be deputy Mayor.

He said: "My own grind is crime and disorder and I have been on two panels for this - Fordingbridge and New Forest.

"I would just like to see Fordingbridge become a nice friendly place to visit."

Outgoing Mayor, Cllr Alan Lewenden, who was Mayor for two years, said he was going to have a rest for a while, but might consider standing for Mayor again in the future: "I've enjoyed it. It's been hard work.

"Two years is enough I think as you could get a bit stale, so it's quite important that we change our mayor every couple of years."

5:52pm Tuesday 13th May 2008

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