The new Mayor of Caerphilly County Borough Council has been announced as Cllr James Fussell.
James, aged 48, accepted the position of civic head at the Annual General Meeting of Council at Penallta House on Thursday (29th April 2010).
“It is a fantastic honour to be selected as the new Mayor, and I look forward to the challenges and opportunities that my year in office will bring”, said Cllr Fussell.
He continued, “I am really looking forward to meeting many new people, and am passionate about representing the people of Caerphilly county borough. I think I am currently one of the youngest Mayor’s within the region, and with this am looking to bring a fresh approach to the Mayor’s role.”
“I’ll have a very tough job living up to the excellent work undertaken by my predecessor, but I will certainly do my best to be a positive ambassador for the people of our county borough during my term in office”, he concluded.
James was born and bred in the Caerphilly area, and represents the St Martin’s Ward in Caerphilly. He has been a Town Councillor for more than 15 years, and a County Councillor since 1999.
His family ties to the area are very strong, with his parents being among one of the early groups of residents who played an active role in Caerphilly county borough’s twinning relationship with the town of Ludwigsburg in Germany almost 50 years ago.
James is also a fluent Welsh speaker, having been educated through the medium of Welsh, and feels that promoting the Welsh language, culture and heritage is very important.
A real family man, James is married to Catherine, who he has appointed as his Consort during his time in office, and has a son, Christopher and two daughters, Ceris and Caitlin, and not forgetting Xena, the family’s faithful golden retriever.
In addition to his role as Mayor, James also represents the constituents of the St Martins Ward, while also holding down a full time job in the finance sector.
He insists however that this is something on which he thrives. “My family are immensely supportive of my work, and understand completely my passion for representing the people of our county borough. Juggling home and work life effectively is what a modern society is all about.”
Cllr Fussell’s chosen charities for the forthcoming year are Ty Hafan, the family hospice, which offers comfort, care and support for life-limited children, and Golden Grove, a charity which aims to purchase and restore a building for use as the first convalescent home for our injured servicemen and women.
He is hoping to raise as much money as possible for these very worthy causes.
The Deputy Mayor has also been announced as Cllr Vera Jenkins, who represents the Crumlin ward.
