Haringey Lib Dem Leader thanks outgoing Mayor and welcomes new Mayor

At Haringey Council's annual meeting at Alexandra Palace, Cllr Jennifer Mann finished her term as Mayor of Haringey and was replaced by Cllr Ali Ozbek.

Cllr Gail Engert, Haringey Lib Dem Leader of the Opposition, thanked Cllr Mann for her work as Mayor and welcomed the appointment of a new mayor from an important local community, seconding the vote of thanks at the meeting.

Cllr Gail Engert, Haringey Lib Dem Leader of the Opposition, comments:

“I was very pleased to have the opportunity to speak, seconding the vote of thanks to Cllr Mann, the outgoing Mayor and Cllr Ozbek her Deputy.

“Cllr Mann has been a wonderful Mayor and certainly deserves our thanks. Cllr Ozbek has been an able deputy and it is wonderful to see someone from an important local community becoming Haringey’s next Mayor.”

-Text of speech by Cllr Gail Engert below:

I second the vote of thanks to Cllr Mann and Cllr Ozbeck. Cllr Mann has been a wonderful Mayor and certainly deserves our thanks. And Cllr Ozbeck has been an able deputy and it is wonderful to see someone from an important local community becoming Haringey’s next Mayor.

I would like to say a few words about Cllr Mann and her time as Mayor.

Firstly, Cllr Mann has a wealth of experience that I am sure has been useful in her role as Mayor. She has been a councillor for Hornsey ward since 2014. She has served on both the adult and health scrutiny panel and the Alexandra Palace Board. She was also in the education sector for many years. In fact she was a teacher for 25 years, which I am sure gave her many skills that have helped her to deal with any unruliness in the council chamber!

Secondly, Cllr Mann’s commitment to her chosen charity, All People All Places, is clear to see. The local charity is based in Cllr Mann’s ward in Hornsey and helps people who are homeless. The objective of the charity is to break the cycle of homelessness and enable people to improve their lives and reintegrate into mainstream society. As well as warmth and shelter: advocacy, confidence building and support in accessing services and accommodation. It is a very worthy cause and I know Cllr Mann has organised several fundraising events for her chosen charity, including a tour of the Spurs Stadium, despite the Mayor being an Arsenal supporter.

Cllr Mann’s commitment to the cause of homelessness also led to her selecting this important issue for the Mayor’s debate. The debate was very well informed by the external speakers chosen by the Mayor and was clearly an important issue to be discussed, as sadly many people in Haringey and across London lack a permanent home despite the work of charities such as All People All Places.

Thirdly I would like to thank Cllr Mann for her fairness in terms of chairing council meetings. She has always strived to be fair to both sides of the chamber and that has been welcomed on this side. She has also been a wonderful Civic Mayor and I have genuinely enjoyed attending civic events with her such as the beacon lighting for the Queen’s birthday, and I know many other councillors will share that sentiment.

Finally, once again thank you to Cllr Mann for her work, courtesy and fairness as Mayor for the last year.

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