The mayor of Bangor has announced that they will not be seeking reelection at the Welsh Local Elections this year. 24-year-old Owen J Hurcum made history by becoming the first non-binary mayor of the city and Wales last year.
However, the mayor of the Gwynedd city announced on their social media that they would not continue with their mayoral role. Instead, the young mayor and Bangor University graduate revealed that they would be shifting their focus elsewhere.
Due to the increasing struggle of finding a house to buy in the city, Owen announced that they would be taking on the unique project of renovating a 1940s wooden boat into a home. On Twitter, they explained: “With the election period beginning next week for Welsh Local Election 2022, many people will be announcing their intention to run for election or reelection.
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“I wish to take this opportunity to state that I, however, will not be seeking reelection to Bangor City Council. This is not a reflection on Bangor City Council, nor my time as a Councillor and it certainly isn’t to do with the harassment I have been subjected to (by a small but vocal minority) on occasion.
“It is simply because of a change of circumstances in my personal life. After (sadly unsuccessful) attempts to get onto the local property market I have found myself with an alternative offer I simply couldn’t refuse. That being to move onto, and dop up, a 1940s wooden boat and make it my home.
“Whilst it is my full intention to bring this boat up to Bangor and live on it up here, due to the work needed on it - and it’s current location around Norfolk - it might be upwards of year before I can do that. It is my feeling that it would be wrong for me to campaign to be a local representative when I know I will be away from Bangor for such a length of time at the start of the next term.
“I look forward immensely to completing the rest of this term here in Bangor. I hope also one day I might be so humbled to once again serve my community here, but it won’t be during this next Council term”.
In 2020, Owen was unanimously elected as the mayor of Bangor - the youngest to achieve the role at the age of 22.
Owen, who is originally from the London suburb of Harrow but came to live to Bangor as a student, described themselves as a proud 'Bangor Aye' and hoped the role would allow them to try to improve the city and bring communities together.
Due to the Covid pandemic however, Owen did not start their role until last year and made international news as the first openly non-binary mayor in the world. Speaking to WalesOnline, they said that they were sad to leave the Gwynedd city, but happy with the legacy that they would leave behind.
"It’s going to be sad being away from Bangor for a year. I didn’t grow up in Bangor but this is where made me me - I became the real me publicly here. It’ll be strange and sad to be away from it," they said.
"When my story came out last year, I wasn’t expecting such attention all over the world. If there is any way - big or small, I can make the world a better place for the LGBTQ+ community, I hope that I’ve done that. So many reached out from the community, and that has been humbling. Doing this mayorship, I wanted to do it my way - a queer and wonderful way."
Owen's role as city mayor will come to an end this May, before they embark on their next chapter of renovating a river boat into a home.
They added: "I’m excited for the next step ahead. It has been really hard getting onto the property market, especially if you are on a single income. Even when I was capable of putting an offer in, I was then outbid. I think a lot of young people trying to buy their first home can relate to that at the moment.
"I have always thought the idea of living on a boat would be cool. My dad previously lived on a canal boat - so I do have experience of living on one and some skills to make it up. It’s scary at times considering how much it’s going to cost, but I’m so excited for the challenge ahead."
