7 Candidates for Deganwy By Election

Candidate List for the Deganwy By Election to be held on Thursday 15th November.
7 candidates in all, including candidates from 5 Political Parties.

My advice and hope for what it is worth is that if this is fought as a Political election, i.e with the Capital Ps in Party Politics then I think it will turn off the electorate. Party politics will not necessary win peoples votes.

I have proved in the last 2 elections that the residents of Deganwy and Llanrhos are willing to back and elect individuals. Whether they will back across there normal political affiliations is another thing, but I think it is the person most will be interested in.

Some of the candidates do have strong party politics connections, but I have always said that it can get in the way of things at the County Council level. Strong scrutiny and challenge is essential but it should be done for valid arguments and not just because the political parties in Cardiff or London say so.

What I want to personally know is who each of the candidates is, whether they have the capability and skills to do what is best for the Deganwy Ward and the Authority. I don't want false promises, don't promise something that clearly can not be achieved or just shows your naivety to what can be achieved in the current climate. Do they have the time and commitment to spend in Council, not just at scheduled meetings but really getting to know what happens and who to speak with.

I do know several of the candidates and some I knew prior to even being a Councillor myself. I wish them all the best of luck and look forward to seeing their election material. If I get material with just a few bullet points and standard poltical messages, they will be ignored by me.
I would be voting for the person that I think will do best for Deganwy and best for Conwy County. Just because I personally stood as an Independent does not necessary mean I would vote for one now.

But that is just me, the candidates will have to do a lot of work to encourage the residents to come out and vote. By elections are historically low turnouts which does open the doors for anyone. I'm not convinced that the Police Commissioners elections will make much difference to the result or the turnout.

On a personal note. I was in London yesterday at the US Embassy and my VISA has been approved. I am planning to fly to Florida on Friday 26th October.

Goodbye

Well here ends a chapter of my life and another one begins.

This blog was started when I first decided to stand for election in 2008. As I now stand down as a Councillor I also end this blog.

Unless I see a reason to start blogging again then this will be the 852nd and last post of the blog.
I'll keep the blog live for as long as possible, as somewhere in all these posts there may be some useful information for someone.

Thank you for all the readers of this blog and I hope it has served the purpose it was intended.

Goodbye and Thank You

Jason

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

Walt Disney

 

“When one door closes, another opens. But we often look so regretfully upon the closed door that we don't see the one that has opened for us.”

Helen Keller

Thank You for The Messages

Thank you for all the comments of support and good luck. Here is a selection of some of the comments.

 "Jason proved himself to be an extremely hard working and outspoken member, always working for his ward and striving to achieve efficient and cost effective services across the Authority. It came as no surprise that he was appointed to the cabinet in May.”

 "Cllr xxxx shared with me your email informing Members of your pending resignation. I do of course wish to congratulate you and wish you well but, I do feel your departure will be a great loss  to the Council. I'm sure we'll catch up before you leave. I do wish you all the best with this new and what sounds very exciting opportunity."

 "It was with real mixed feelings that I read your news. Obviously, I am delighted about your promotion and wish you the very best of luck with your exciting new venture and travels. On the other side of the coin we are losing an excellent Councillor and representative of this community. You have been a wonderful supporter and hands on member of the Project group and YJB. We are going to miss your skills and dedication to the people of this area."

 "Your new job sounds very exciting -good luck for the future and thanks for everything you have done for local scouting"

 "Congratulations, what a wonderful opportunity and I hope it all works out well for you and your family"

"I'm gutted @CllrJason is leaving the council. Knocked the wind out of my sails. Fully understand his reasoning though. Who will now bother?"

 "@CllrJason Family comes first, good luck to all of your family :)"

 "@CllrJason Sorry to hear you're leaving (as will most of Deganwy) but huge thanks for all you've done the village and best of luck!"

 "I am really sorry to lose someone of your calibre and potential Jason, but I know you will have decided this is an opportunity too good to pass up - it certainly sounds exciting."

 "Gosh, that's knocked the wind out of my sails I didn't see that one coming. Good luck Jason" "Best of luck to you and your family in your new life Jason"

 "Very best of luck in your new job Jason, I'm sure you will do well. It will be a great loss to both Deganwy and the council but you have to go with this opportunity for the benefit of yourself and your family. Good luck and all the very best."

 "Very sad to learn @CllrJason is leaving his position.Entirely understandable though,I know him and both like and respect him. Go for it!"

 "@CllrJason Good Luck with your new career Jason. You've done great things for businesses and residents in Deganwy."

 "Good luck to Jason Weyman @CllrJason in his new role, a good Councillor and a loss for Deganwy. I will miss working along side him."

 "@CllrJason intrigued, but sad to see you move on."

 "@CllrJason Very good news for you, so congrats., but what a blow for your fans and followers! Best wishes - and thanks for things done."

"@CllrJason Good Luck Jason." - "@CllrJason hear, hear"

"@CllrJason Good luck Ex Cllr Jason!"

"We'll miss you Jason - but all the best for the future."

"I would reiterate the sentiments expressed by the Leader this afternoon and wish you every success in your new endeavours. For my part, I enjoyed our period as Chair and Vice Chair of Partnerships scrutiny and our short period as cabinet colleagues, but I am sure that I speak on behalf of my whole group in wishing you and your family all the best for the future."

"I wish you all the best and hope that in due course you'll come back to the UK, and Conwy in particular, with loads of new ideas, friends, contacts and enthusiasm to contribute to the general pool, and to your own family. You've been a conscientious and keen fellow member that everyone has felt they can rely on 100%. Waya Bimpe!!**"

"I would like to thank you for wise advice you afforded me on becoming a  Councillor, and wish you every success with your new job."

"Conwy County Borough Council will be at an enormous loss (I cant think of a word that is more than enormous)only anferthol(welsh). Your conscientious commitment to council work has been total you have been a shining example to all councillors new and old. Your constituents will never realise or appreciate what a good man they had representing them. I whish you and your lovely family my best wishes a long happy and healthy life for the future Good Luck and God Bless Hwyl Fawr"

"I have known you for a brief time. In this brief time I saw you as a man of vision. Your brilliant oration and sound judgement will be sorely missed. I wish you a radiant future"

"A great loss to Conwy but wonderful news for you . Congratulations ! Well done"

"Wow Jason I've just had such a surprise, what fantastic news for you but very sad news for Conwy Where are you flying off to? You must have made a big impression as you have done here, I would have put money on your being the Leader in 12 months but this sounds more exciting and you can always come back to us Very well done Jason my very best wishes to you and your family Best wishes"

"Hi Jason, it has been a pleasure knowing and working alongside you!! Congratulations on your new post and I wish you all the very best in the future. CCBC will miss you!"

"Such sad news. There is no doubt that you have made a big contribution to Conwy Council and you will be missed. Wishing you all the best in your new venture."

"Sorry to hear your off Jason. You've been an excellent member and I've personally really appreciated your input as a fellow 'younger' member. All the best for you and your family."

"Although our time as councillors together has been short I soon recognised the talent you showed which is a strength which you will bring to any job you pursue. I have valued your opinions and wish you well for the future and remember that dinner date. All the best"

"Congratulations to you and your family on the fantastic news - what an adventure!  But of course this is going to be a massive loss for the Council - you have, throughout your term, have been extremely motivated, forward thinking and balanced in all your decision making and your presence, without doubt, has made a big difference within Conwy County Borough Council. All the very best to you - "Pob lwc a phob llwyddiant i'r dyfodol"."

"Wow shame to see you go but good luck with the new role. Was looking forward to you and I working closer on council ideas."

"I`m really sorry to see you leave the Council Jason. Really good Councillors are few and far between but you are certainly one of them. It`s been an honour working with you and I can only wish you all the very best in your new venture. Hope to see you before you go."

"   It has been a pleasure to know you and to work with you over the past few years I wish you every Success in the future."

"This is a bit of surprise news, but I am sure you didn't take this decision lightly, also I know you are man who usually make a balance decision & would like to wish you all the very best."

"Sound very exciting Jason, Also our loss would be their gain; it's been great working with you mate & try to keep in touch."

"I was very surprised to hear of your announcement at Cabinet today. Firstly can I congratulate you on your promotion. Well done ! Their gain will be CCBC loss"

"Good luck with your future employment. Its been good working with you."

"@CllrJason Sorry to hear this; you have done an excellent job over the past few years."

"A real loss to Conwy County politics, @CllrJason will be sorely missed."

"Cllr Jason Weyman is resigning this month from Conwy finance post. New job with travel prospects apparently. Good luck. A loss to Conwy."

"Congratulations on your new appointment and best wishes for the future. Although, no doubt, good news for you and your family it is sad news for Conwy. Thanks for your contribution to public service in this area over the past six years. Because of the combative nature of electoral politics only a few elected representatives are well respected across all of the political divides, you have been one of the few; your successor will have a hard act to follow."

"Sorry to see you go Jason, you have been inspirational, a real breath of fresh air in the musty corridors of power. Good luck to you and your family, I hope all works well for you."

"I'm very sorry that you are going to resign the Council. You have been a breath of fresh air. It is so easy for those of us who have been there some time to get sucked into the bubble and so easy for new Members to say nothing. Fortunately neither was the case as far as you are concerned. I shall miss you personally but you can't let an opportunity like this disappear. You must take this with both hands and enjoy all the benefits."

"Best of luck,Jason! -and thanks & well done for all the work you've done on the Council and with the History Group. You'll be missed."

"Hi Jason, congrats on your promotion! We'll be sorry to see you go but well done on getting a new position & hope you enjoy the USA (now Gywn done a facebook page for History of Deganwy you can always see what we're up to!). Hope to see you before you go."

" Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My goodness me! Florida. Wow again."

"Can I offer you many congratulations on your new job, I hope that you really enjoy it.

Also can I offer many thanks for the brilliant job that you have done as a Councillor, your hard work and unceasing enthusiasm have been very much appreciated."

"What a great shame for us but heartiest congratulations to you. It is going to be a very interesting and exciting time for you and your family.
We will certainly miss your common sense attuitude to the many matters we have discussed in the time I have known you."

"Thanks for email, congratulations on your new job, I wish your every success, it sounds very exciting.
Sorry that you will not be able to continue on the committee. Sincere thanks for all the hard work you have put into the re-establishment of Deganwy Prom Day. I doubt if we will be able to find a replacement with as much knowledge and enthusiasm as you have shown over the past years."


"Congratulations on your new appointment and best wishes for the future.
Although, no doubt, good news for you and your family it is sad news for Conwy.
Thanks for your contribution to public service in this area over the past six years. Because of the combative nature of electoral politics only a few elected representatives are well respected across all of the political divides, you have been one of the few; your successor will have a hard act to follow."

"Bloody hell. Congratulations. It sounds brilliant.  We will miss you on the committee, on the council and out and about. Crikey. Who am I going to vote for  now?"


Thank you for all the messages.

More about my new role

As promised I said I would explain my decision more fully.
I have received a great deal of support already from many people but it is only fair that I explain my decision further.

I suppose to explain it you also have to look back at my career before I came to North Wales. I have worked in the Telecoms industry since leaving college after studying Electronic and Communication Engineering. Most latterly I had worked my self it a Senior Position as the General Manager for 2 Business Division for a company called Alcatel Telecom Ltd. This position was responsible for managing the divisions in the UK. My budgets were in the millions and the I had about 50 staff. I had been involved in the growth of a divisions on the Uk through acquisition of other companies. It is these experiences that closely match my new opportunity.

As you will know as well as a Councillor I also work for a design, web and marketing company called blah d blah in Conwy. This business is a subsidiary of a larger company called EA Technology Ltd based in Capenhurst near Chester. One of the people who interviewed me for the Business Manager role was a Senior Director at EA. EA technology offers end to End technical services and products To meet the needs of Power Networks around the world. In the words of it Chief Exec we "help keep the lights on". http://www.eatechnology.com/

My new offer employment has come from the chief Exec and the senior director of EA Technology and involves helping with the expansion of EA Technology across the world. EA is a very successful company and has been growing over the last few years, there is an 5 year plan to take this success into other Markets.

We have a subsidiary business in the USA and my first role will be to spend about 6 months over there to put a plan together to maximise on the US market. This will involve looking at all the Operational parts of the business looking at things such as infrastructure, offices and personnel to deliver the targets. My job title will be as Interim Vice President Operations and I will be based in a place called Plant City, which is between Tampa Bay and Orlando in Florida.
One of my tasks will be to recruit a local person, who will come over to the UK to be trained and will return back to the USA to take over from me. I will then continue to mentor the team over the next couple of years.

I will be based there for about 6 months and will be travelling back to the UK about once a month to meet up with the UK team and managers.

On my return the process will be repeated in other areas of the company. I hinted at earlier it was past experience at Alcatel that was of interest, but there is no doubt the experience and variation of work I have had since 2003 in Conwy that has helped me and developed me as some one my employers felt they needed for this role. From running my own business at Deganwy Post Office, through my role as a Councillor including that as Chairman of Partnership Scrutiny and Cabinet Member of Finance. And of course my role in the Marketing and Communication part of the business in blah d blah.

This role is a promotion from my current position. My employers were very aware of what I was giving up and the offer made is as such to make it an attractive and secure opportunity. As I said in my last post at 42 years of age I have to think of my longer term future. Politics is not the most secure role to hold and I didn't want to be in position at the end of this term or subsequent term where I was not elected and then be in my 50s, 10 years away from retirement and then struggle to gain employment. So when I was offered this role, I hope you can understand why, I had to seriously consider and ultimately except the offer.

I announced my decision to the Cabinet and Senior Management Team at Conwy County Bourough Council on Tuesday morning at Informal Cabinet. After the meeting I had final confirmation from EA that all the T&Cs had been agreed and that I was in a position to formally annouce my resignation publicly. I then discussed my resignation with the chief Exec and democratic officer at CCBC to determine the timing of my final day and how it could take advantage of the Police Commissioners elections in November. I offered to resign and leve straight way if this was appropriate, but was informed prior to Cabinet that if I left at the end of the month, this would be timed so the bi-election will take time at the same time as the PCC elections and help to costs so a separate election date was not required.
My formal letter of resignation was delivered to the Chief Exec and the Leader on Friday morning.
So although I don't leave for the USA until later in October I think it was fairer all round that my resignation is effective from the end of September. This allows me time to fulfil some of my work at CCBC and gives the Leader and Group Leaders to determine how the Cabinet position I'm vacating can be filled.

I hope the above explains my decision further I also hope that you can at least understand why I have made the decision to resign. The timing so early in the new term is a shame, but you never know when these things will happen and I had no idea in May that something like this would happen. In fact this has all happened in less than 2 weeks.

Due to my travels I am also having to resign from of the other organisations I'm part of including, District Scout Association, Deganwy Prom Day and the History of Deganwy Group
It will now be interesting to see what candidates come forward to stand for election and who the residents of Deganwy ward select to represent them. I will not be commenting on this or on any candidates, I think it is up to them to engage with the communities and to explain what they have to offer. As for the future, well my philosophy is to never say never. we are still going to continue to live in Llanrhos and Kirsty and the Boys are staying here while I'm working in other locations. So who knows what the future may bring. Who knows there may be an opportunity to bring my experience gained from my travels back to Conwy. But nothing is planned and my concentration now turns to my new role.

NWWN Article on Resignation

Thank you for all the positive messages I have received. Thank you for your good luck wishes and most importantly understanding.

Here is how my news was reported in today's North Wales Weekly News:

Conwy County Council cabinet member announces surprise resignation

Sep 13 2012 by Judith Phillips, North Wales Weekly News

A MEMBER of a county council’s ruling cabinet has surprised colleagues by announcing his resignation.
Independent Cllr Jason Weyman, Conwy’s cabinet member for finances and resources, told them on Tuesday about his decision to stand down.
He said: “I am announcing that from the end of September I will be resigning from the cabinet and from the council.
“I have been offered a position with work that gives me promotion. It’s too good an opportunity to turn down.”

He added: “I’m very very sad to be going. But for the first time in five years I have to think about myself and my family and look to the future. It’s a senior position and it involves quite a lot of international travel.”

He called his time as a councillor “challenging and interesting” and hoped he had been able to make a worthwhile contribution.
Conwy CB Council leader Cllr Dilwyn Roberts offered congratulations on his new post.
He said Cllr Weyman had made a “positive contribution.”
And former council leader Goronwy Edwards spoke of his admiration for Cllr Weyman.
“Jason proved himself to be an extremely hard working and outspoken member, always working for his ward and striving to achieve efficient and cost effective services across the Authority. It came as no surprise that he was appointed to the cabinet in May.”

 http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2012/09/13/conwy-county-council-cabinet-member-announces-surprise-resignation-55243-31821979/

I resign

At today's meeting of Cabinet I announced my decision to resign from the Cabinet and from the Council.
I have been offered an interesting employment opportunity which I was unable to ignore. Details if the position can not be released until Friday, when I will post further, but I can say it is in the Private sector.

It has been a very hard decision and has only come about over the last few days. It is sad to leave so early in my second term as a Councillor, but opportunities do not come around very often, especially in the current climate.

In making my decision I have had to consider my own career and what is best for my family. I still have 25 years before I will be retirement age, and it is important that I consider these issues. I have not gone looking for this opportunity it is something that has arrived. I am extremely lucky to have been considered for the role.

I have discussed the situation with the Council's Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer and I was keen to see whether the bi-election could be timed to coincide with the Police and Crime Commissioners election on the 17th November. I'm pleased to announce that by timing my resignation to take affect as of the end of the month, that the bi-election will be able to take place at the same time. This should reduce the cost of the bi-election to a certain extent.

When I left Bodlondeb this afternoon, people were busy discussing the impact on the portfolio and Cabinet. We will have to see what comes about and once all the relevant people are able to discuss I'm sure we will see an announcement. One idea I did hear being considered is extremely interesting and I hope it is progressed.

The Cabinet were happy with me to continue with my duties over the next couple of weeks.

There was a suggestion as to whether I could continue in my role as Councillor. The suggestion being that I don't burn my bridges if things don't happen as expected. I would not feel comfortable with this and I think Deganwy and Conwy residents deserve someone totally committed to the role, so I have decided that I should resign as a Councillor.

It has been a very interesting four and a half years. The round of applause I received today from members and officers was very moving, and the messages of goodwill are really appreciated.
I hope that I have made a difference, the messages seem to suggest I have and that may be I've brought a fresh approach and new ideas.

This blog was set up in 2008 when I stood for election. Although the last few months has not seen many posts, I'm hoping the last 4 years have highlighted the role of a councillor and the workings of the Council. I will not be proceeding with the blog, it has served it's purpose and I will keep it live as a reference and record of my time as a Councillor.

I will update further at the weekend

Cabinet Role and Holiday

My rate of posting has been very poor since the election and since taking on my role as Finance and Resource Portfolio holder in the Cabinet.
It has been a case of being to busy with Council and Work and of course family.
So the blog has been the element that has suffered with the additional responsibility and workload.
I will make an attempt to blog more after my holiday next week.
I think my first blog will be to update people on my role as a Cabinet member and what the role entails. It Is a role that gets much more involved in the workings of the Council. This work will then result in reports produced for Scrutiny/Cabinet/Council meetings.
We have a key reports coming to Principal Scrutiny Committee and the Cabinet on 11th Sept. These will include reports on the Capital Programme, Reserves & Balances, and the Financial Planning for 12/13 and 13/14. This 3rd report will detail the information we have to date on possible income, additional pressures and levels of additional savings and revenue required to set a balanced budget. This will be the first if several reports throughout the year as we work towards setting the budget and Council tax in February for the next financial year.
One for certain is that this role does not make me many friends, and it is something I have had to accept. But this is not about popularity but about doing a professional job and making sure that everything is done well and that those difficult decisions are taken.
I'm sure this will mean I will come in for lots of criticism, especially from those who will not read the full facts, but I wanted this portfolio and as with the other members if the Cabinet we most proceed and work to the best for the authority and the county.
As the budgetary process continues I will try and use the blog to document the progress. We are also facing additional pressures this year which we are very busy working on. I have discussed these briefly in past posts, but some of the savings in travel and holidays across the authority have not delivered the savings we had hoped for.
We have also the overspend in Home to School transport that we are having lots of meetings about. I am enjoying working with Cllr Mike Priestley who is working extremely hard on resolving this issue. I think all Cabinet positions are difficult and hardwork, but I'm glad Mike is involved in this and he is the best person to be doing this job.
As Cllrs we may not have been there when issues occur but we do recognise it is our responsibility to work with officers to resolve issues and get things back on track.

On another part of my portfolio I am doing lots of background reading on the Welfare Reforms and having regular meetings with Officers and who this will affect the authority and residents of Conwy. It is true to say that with the reductions in Council Tax benefits, the bedroom tax for Social Housing and the Benefits Cap that there will be many people affected in the county. we also need to implement process and procedure and ensure the systems are in place prior to the changes coming into affect in April 2013. But the issues don't stop there and the implications of the Welfare Reforms will keep us very busy for the next few years. We also have to cope with responsibility changes between Local Authorities, DWP and UK Government, the Welsh Government and other agencies.

Anyway enough of a this as I'll have nothing to write about when I get back.
As you can see I certainly haven't been sitting on my hands and I haven't mentioned local ward work.

I mentioned family earlier and this is where my attention will be concentrating on over the next week. I haven't spent much time with the boys over the school holidays, they have been away staying with family in Cornwall and Cheshire or I have been working/council.
So on Sunday we fly out to Geneva and from there will be staying in Chamonix in the French Alps for a weeks holiday. We not ones for beach holidays and will be busy with more adventurous pursuits including climbing, walking, mountain biking and what ever else we find to do. Just found a fantastic luge/toboggan attraction on the Internet.

Wishing you a good bank holiday weekend and we'll see what September has in store.