Friends, Selkirk folk, countrymen, lend me your oars
12/1/12
OCEAN-rowing world record-breaker Leven Brown is the latest candidate to be announced to contest the Selkirkshire ward in May’s elections for Scottish Borders Council, writes Mark Entwistle.
The Selkirk High School-educated sportsman, who is 39 and hails originally from Melrose, and now lives near Lilliesleaf with his family, will be standing for the Borders Party.
Leven was one of four new Borders Party candidates to be declared this week with the others being Peebles Community Council chairman and self-employed agricultural advisor, David Pye, who will contest the Tweeddale West ward; Frances Pringle, who runs a horticultural business at Clovenfords, will contest Tweeddale East; while former journalist and event organiser Cat Macdonald-Home, will fight East Berwickshire.
Borders Party leader Nicholas Watson told The Wee Paper this week: “We’ve got some good people lined up and hope to confirm prospective candidates in all wards in the next month.We won two seats on SBC last time and, with the excellent candidates we have announced this week, we hope to do better still in May.”
Speaking last year to our sister paper The Southern Reporter for a feature article on his ocean rowing exploits and political ambitions, Leven said a main driver behind his desire to get involved in local politics was to make them more accountable to local people.
And when The Wee Paper caught up with him this week, he stressed that his commitment to local people and issues was as strong as ever.
“When you’re a councillor from the Borders Party, you don’t have a political party boss in Edinburgh telling you what to do. Your constituents are your only boss and they’ll tell you what’s important to them,” said Leven.
Already he has been out on the campaign trail, handing out leaflets and speaking to people in the Selkirkshire ward.
“We’ve been talking to people about various issues and listening to what they have to say,” he said.
“The elections won’t be long in coming. May’s not that far off. Time just seems to fly by these days.
“It doesn’t seem a year since I was doing my yachtmaster’s course or that it has been nearly two years since we beat the North Atlantic crossing record.”
Now more involved in the management of ocean rowing events on behalf of others, Leven says if he is fortunate to be elected come May’s polls, his first commitment will be to the people of Selkirkshire.
“There won’t be any conflict – when I commit to doing something I do it. It’s as simple as that,” he added.
Other confirmed candidates are sitting councillors Vicky Davidson (Lib Dem) and Kenneth Gunn (SNP) plus Michelle Ballantyne (Con) and Gordon Edgar (Independent). Tory Carolyn Riddell-Carre is not seeking re-election.
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Weather for Selkirk
Thursday 24 May 2012
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Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
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Wind Speed: 14 mph
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