Dorothy Thornhill
Encyclopedia
Dorothy Thornhill is the first directly elected mayor
of Watford
, Hertfordshire
, England
. She was the Liberal Democrats
' first directly elected mayor, and was also the first female directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom
. She has been Mayor of Watford
since May 2002, being re-elected in May 2006, and in May 2010 she was re-elected for a third term.
Thornhill increased her majority when she was re-elected as mayor in May 2006, gaining more than 50% of the vote in the first round, with a majority of over 7000.
Thornhill was ranked the 41st most influential Liberal Democrat in the country, in an article by the Daily Telegraph. They stated:
At a Liberal Democrat 'Town Hall' meeting in Watford
, February 2010, the leader of the party, Nick Clegg
was asked whether he felt the Mayor was right to earn the same wage as a Member of Parliament
whether she was “value for money”, and in response he named her "one of the best mayors in this country".
Thornhill was re-elected as Mayor of Watford
in May 2010, for a third term in office, with a majority of 11,921, becoming the second directly elected mayor
in the UK to do so.
, in Bushey
for several years and had a teaching career spanning over 25 years.
Thornhill resides in Oxhey
, where she was a borough councillor for several years. She states on the Watford Council Website "In my spare time I enjoy spending time with friends and family, reading, watching rugby and football and visiting old churches." and she describes herself as "an avid viewer of Coronation Street
" She is an Honorary Vice-President of Watford Football Club. She is married to Cllr Iain Sharpe, a fellow Liberal Democrat. She uses the social networking site Twitter
regularly.
Elected mayors in the United Kingdom
Directly elected mayors are council leaders elected by the general electorate of a council area for local government, instead of being appointed by members of a local authority, which is common in the United Kingdom. The Elected Mayor is elected from a number of candidates who put themselves up for...
of Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She was the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
' first directly elected mayor, and was also the first female directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. She has been Mayor of Watford
Mayor of Watford
The Mayor of Watford is the head of the council in Watford, Hertfordshire, England. The holder of the position is a directly elected mayor elected using the supplementary vote, every four years...
since May 2002, being re-elected in May 2006, and in May 2010 she was re-elected for a third term.
Political career
In May 2002, Dorothy Thornhill became the first elected mayor of Watford Borough with a majority of over 8000 after counting second choice votes.Thornhill increased her majority when she was re-elected as mayor in May 2006, gaining more than 50% of the vote in the first round, with a majority of over 7000.
Thornhill was ranked the 41st most influential Liberal Democrat in the country, in an article by the Daily Telegraph. They stated:
"Dorothy Thornhill overcame tough opposition to become the first directly LibDem mayor in 2002 and she was re-elected in 2006. WatfordWatford (UK Parliament constituency)Watford is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
is a target seat for the 'LibDems' at the next election and her tenure as mayor will prove crucial to their fortunes. "
At a Liberal Democrat 'Town Hall' meeting in Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
, February 2010, the leader of the party, Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
was asked whether he felt the Mayor was right to earn the same wage as a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
whether she was “value for money”, and in response he named her "one of the best mayors in this country".
Thornhill was re-elected as Mayor of Watford
Mayor of Watford
The Mayor of Watford is the head of the council in Watford, Hertfordshire, England. The holder of the position is a directly elected mayor elected using the supplementary vote, every four years...
in May 2010, for a third term in office, with a majority of 11,921, becoming the second directly elected mayor
Elected mayors in the United Kingdom
Directly elected mayors are council leaders elected by the general electorate of a council area for local government, instead of being appointed by members of a local authority, which is common in the United Kingdom. The Elected Mayor is elected from a number of candidates who put themselves up for...
in the UK to do so.
Personal life
Thornhill was assistant head teacher at Queens' SchoolQueens' School
Queens' School, near Watford, Hertfordshire, is a state funded secondary school.It is currently designated a Specialist Sports and Science College.-History:The story of Queens' begins with two schools in Watford in the early 20th century....
, in Bushey
Bushey
Bushey is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England. Bushey Heath is situated to the south east of Bushey on the boundary with the London Borough of Harrow.-History:...
for several years and had a teaching career spanning over 25 years.
Thornhill resides in Oxhey
Oxhey
Oxhey is a suburb of the borough of Watford in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is located at and forms part of the Watford post town....
, where she was a borough councillor for several years. She states on the Watford Council Website "In my spare time I enjoy spending time with friends and family, reading, watching rugby and football and visiting old churches." and she describes herself as "an avid viewer of Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
" She is an Honorary Vice-President of Watford Football Club. She is married to Cllr Iain Sharpe, a fellow Liberal Democrat. She uses the social networking site Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
regularly.