have yourself a merry little Christmas

[pensnest]

I met the Mayor today. My chorus had a fund-raising social event, and had invited the Mayor and his Mrs. I saw them cautiously take a seat off to the side, so lured them to my table with the semi-excuse (it was true, in fact, but not really why I wanted them to come and sit with us) that some of us were wondering how a person becomes Mayor, and what the duties are.

Well, at that point, things went straight into a video from the chap who runs the charity we are supporting, and then we sang, so it was a while before we could interrogate the poor lad, but he was (natch) very charming. It turns out the councillors more or less decide among themselves which of them is to be mayor this year, and so long as the chosen person agrees they have a ceremony in May at which the old mayor passes the chain of office to the new one, who keeps the job for a year. The chain he was wearing at our do contained medallions representing all sorts of facets of Norwich - chocolate and sweets, aeroplane manufacture, literature, dragons, and so forth.

I imagine this all sounds a bit bizarre to Americans, and possibly to others.

Comments

[frausorge]

What was the real reason you wanted them at your table?

In my city there's a set rotation so each council member gets to be mayor in turn, if they stay in office long enough.

[pensnest]

I didn't want them to be sitting at the side, I thought it would be much better for all concerned if they came and chatted to some of us, and I wasn't sure anyone else would approach them and invite them to join in!

[frausorge]

Mingling and talking definitely sounds like a much better way to spend their time there!

[watervole]

Makes perfectly good sense to me! (as a brit..)

[turps]

That is so cool about the Mayor. Though, I never realised that being one was such a casual choice.