PRETTY soon, I believe, we will be asked to decide whether or not we want an elected mayor to take charge of our Town Hall.

This subject has been brought up briefly in these pages and I asked those with a preference for an elected mayor if they would enlighten us as to why?

This very serious issue will affect all of us in the future, yet the only enlightenment I have heard seems to be: "Anything's better than what we have now". But is it?

We hear tell of elected mayors in the USA and of corrupt dealings. Would we soon hear similar talk in Bolton?

Questions must be answered before we can be expected to decide. What powers would this mayor have? If we had a Tory mayor in charge of a Labour Council -- or vice versa -- would he or she have the power to overturn decisions made by other democratically elected councillors, even though he or she was in the minority?

Or would the mayor choose his or her own council, chief of police, fire chief and dog catcher, etc, as they do in the USA? Now that IS frightening, but it could well happen in the near future, if we start to drive in the thin end of the wedge.

Or would the Mayor simply replace our existing Chief Executive? Now there's a point, and we would probably save a pound or two into the bargain!

Brian Derbyshire

Ribchester Grove

Bolton