Councillor Jonathan Joughin has been elected Mayor of Douglas for the 2018-2019 municipal year.

The Mayor and Mayoress and Deputy Mayor Ian Clague and Mayoress Mrs Sue Clague

Members of the Council voted unanimously to elect Councillor Joughin at a statutory public Council meeting held on Wednesday May 9, 2018.

The Mayor and Mayoress with their son Myles Joughin and his wife Catherine, and His Worship's brother Paul and his wife Sandra

Proposing Councillor Joughin’s nomination Councillor Ritchie McNicholl said that in his role as Chair of the Environmental Services Committee he had been pleased to have had the benefit of Councillor Joughin’s ‘support and wise counsel’ in his capacity as Vice-Chairman. He continued: ‘Environmental Services are faced almost daily with change and challenge – not least the demands of recycling and responsible waste disposal - all of which Jon takes in his stride in his own carefully considered and measured way. And the same applies to his role as Vice-Chairman of the Pensions Committee.’

 His Worship with the outgoing Mayor Councillor Debbie Pitts

Councillor McNicholl went on to say that Councillor Joughin ‘had served Victoria Ward, this Council and the wider Douglas community with great dedication, and I know he will apply that same dedication to serving as Mayor of Douglas, with the support of Angela, his wife, as his Mayoress, and his family.’

His Worship and the outgoing Mayoress Mrs Linda Curphey

In closing, referring to Councillor Joughin’s former career he said: ‘I have every confidence that with such a long career as a postman behind him, Councillor Jon Joughin will - without a shadow of a doubt – “deliver” as Mayor of Douglas.’

Seconding the nomination Councillor Colin Cain said he had known Councillor Joughin from when they both served in the Douglas Sea Cadet Corps adding: ‘From the outset Jon was always a larger-than-life character.’

He went on to applaud his involvement with the Communication Workers’ Union and the Post Office pensions committee and the invaluable expertise he brought to the Council’s Pensions Committee.

In closing he referred to Councillor Joughin and his wife, Angela, as ‘a great team’ who would serve the Council, Douglas and the Isle of Man with commitment and dedication.

Accepting the nomination His Worship said he was ‘extremely honoured to accept this privileged position of Mayor of Douglas’.

He continued: ‘Douglas will be going through some major changes during the forthcoming years with the Promenade upgrade scheme, the regeneration of Castle Street and Duke Street, the proposed development of the Lord Street bus station site and the construction of a Premier Inn in Market Street. These projects will have a major impact on the town and represent a welcome mix of government and private sector funding.’

He paid tribute to his wife, family and friends for their support and thanked his proposer and seconder, Councillor Ritchie McNicholl and Councillor Colin Cain and his fellow Council Members, saying he pledged to do all he could ‘to maintain the dignity of the office and to promote the Council.’

In a vote of thanks to the retiring Mayor Councillor Ritchie McNicholl praised Councillor Debbie Pitts for upholding the role of Mayor and representing the Council ‘with dignity and enthusiasm’ and he paid tribute to the retiring Mayoress, Mrs Linda Curphey, for her invaluable support.’

Seconding Councillor McNicholl’s vote of thanks Councillor Carol Malarkey referred to the occasion when Councillor Debbie Pitts had been installed as Mayor and had said: ‘I hope to carry on the strong family tradition and make my own mark on the role of Mayor and local politics.’

Councillor Malarkey said that she had also wanted ‘the doors of Douglas Town Hall to be ‘open to as many people as we can’.

‘She certainly achieved those two goals,’ Councillor Malarkey observed, adding: ‘Debbie has connected brilliantly with the community, welcoming people from all walks of life and all generations to the town hall, promoting the good work of this Council and serving as a great ambassador for Douglas and the Isle of Man.’

Turning to the outgoing Mayor’s charitable involvement she said: ‘All the while she has always shown a genuine interest in her guests and what matters to the people of Douglas and she’s been hugely supportive of local charities working tirelessly to transform the lives of others.

‘Which is why she, with the support of her Mayoress Linda Curphey and a great team of volunteers, has raised the amazing sum of £23,706 for the mayoral charitable appeal.’

In closing Councillor Malarkey said that the outgoing Mayor might have passed on the chain of office to her successor but her legacy as a tireless fundraiser for local good causes would live on.

In her response Councillor Pitts said she had enjoyed ‘a wonderful and exciting year’, the highlight having been ‘showing Douglas and our town hall off to the best of my ability and recognising businesses and charity workers alike’.

She went on to say she had been pleased to build strong links with the Borough’s schools, charitable organisations and other local authorities then

thanked her Mayoress, Mrs Linda Curphey, her family and friends for their support. In closing she wished her successor good luck for the forthcoming municipal year, adding the wise counsel: ‘Always wear comfortable shoes and expect the unexpected.’

For the 2018-2019 municipal year Mrs Angela Joughin will serve as Mayoress, Councillor Ian Clague MBE as Deputy Mayor and Mrs Sue Clague as Deputy Mayoress.

Monsignor John Devine OBE will serve as the Mayor’s Chaplain.

Charities to benefit from His Worship’s mayoral charity appeal will be SSAFA Isle of Man, Special Olympics Isle of Man and the Rotary Club of Douglas.