A former Lord Mayor of Liverpool is to take up the role for a second time in a break with tradition.
A year after stepping down, Cllr Mary Rasmussen will once again become Liverpool’s first citizen when the city council holds its annual general meeting tomorrow. The Labour councillor is effectively swapping roles with her deputy from 2021/22, Cllr Roy Gladden, who is stepping away from the local authority after Wednesday’s meeting.
Cllr Rasmussen, who was elected to the new Speke ward in this month’s all out elections, has served on Liverpool Council since 2007, previously representing the Speke-Garston ward. It is expected Cllr Richard Kemp, former leader of the Liberal Democrat group, will be nominated as Deputy Lord Mayor.
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Previous Lord Mayors of Liverpool include Steve Rotheram, former MP for Liverpool Walton and current Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor, former cllr Anna Rothery - who held the post from 2019 to 2021 - and Peter Brennan, who was forced to stand down from the position after it was revealed he had shared a racist video in a Whatsapp group with fellow councillors.
Former Cllr Brennan also stepped down from his seat in Old Swan and resigned from the Labour Party. In 2021, he was asked by officials to stop campaigning in its name.
The new Lord Mayor is expected to be sworn in at Liverpool Town Hall, as is tradition, after the covid pandemic meant Cllr Rasmussen took her oath of office at Liverpool Tennis Centre in Wavertree two years ago. The venue was used for the council’s annual general meeting as the Town Hall did not offer the requisite social distancing at the time.
The incoming Lord Mayor grew up in Garston and was the third of 10 children. Her parents Thomas and Theresa were originally from County Mayo, Ireland, and they made Liverpool their home after first trying Glasgow and London. They described their decision to stay in Liverpool as the best decision they ever made.
Cllr Rasmussen was educated at St Francis of Assisi Primary School and then attended Blessed John Almond School. During her time as a Labour councillor, she has held the position of group chief whip - the first woman to do so - and chair.
The Lord Mayor-elect’s son Michael will be her consort and her daughter Janine will be Lady Mayoress for her term of office. She will be supporting the Local Solutions AIMS – Skills hub as her main charity. It supports young people who are leaving care or have experience of the care system to improve their short- and long-term prospects.
Cllr Rasmussen said: “To serve this great city once as Lord Mayor is an honour, to be asked to do so twice leaves me speechless. During my first term the city was still re-grouping after the challenging months of the pandemic so I am very much looking forward to really being able to get out and about and meeting all the incredible people who support our city.
“Liverpool is the greatest city in the world. I know this and every Liverpudlian already knows this, so being given the opportunity to make sure the rest of the world knows how great we are is an incredible privilege and everyone has my word that I will do Liverpool proud.”
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