Carol Mair has been elected SNP councillor for Perth City North in a local by-election held on Thursday, September 26.
Voters in Ward 11 headed to the polls to elect a new ward councillor following the resignation of Brian Leishman after he was elected as Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth.
Perth City North now has three SNP councillors and Carol has become Perth and Kinross Council’s sixth female elected member amongst 34 men with Liberal Democrat Alan Watt being elected to represent Strathallan ward on the same night.
Turnout was pretty low in Perth City North at 22.7 per cent with 2071 votes cast and 21 rejected papers.
The SNP candidate was elected at the fifth stage of the count after application of votes. First preference votes were as follows:
Sonia Davidson – Reform UK – 209
Carol Mair – SNP – 917
Tina Ng-A-Mann – Lib Dems – 95
Kirsten Nkwocha-Dyer – Lab – 313
Aziz Rehman – Con – 296
Robert Reid – Alba – 133
Caitlin Ripley – Green – 87
After the result was announced, a beaming Carol said: “It’s unreal. I am just delighted. I joined the SNP the day after the referendum and have been active ever since. I worked with Women for Independence.”
Carol had a varied career which included selling advertising at the Perthshire Advertiser, working for Hydro Electric and 22 years working for the NHS in administration. Now retired, she is keen to give back to the area of Perth where she lived and raised her family.
She said: “This is where I spent the greatest part of my life.”
Fellow Perth City North SNP councillors Ian Massie and John Rebbeck both said: “She will be a great councillor.”
And they have plenty for Carol to get her teeth stuck into.
Cllr Rebbeck said: “We need a hand. There are a lot of things going on. The cuts to the winter fuel allowance is a big thing and what we can do to combat poverty and the cost of living crisis.”