They're back on the agenda... elected mayors
The Conservatives are today grabbing headlines for their proposals to hold a referendum to decide if Liverpool should be run by a directly-elected mayor within one year of a Conservative government taking power.
Tony Blair was often said to have been disappointed that only a handful of places like Hartlepool took up elected mayors, now David "heir to Blair" Cameron is promising to force large cities to hold referenda on the topic.
In Liverpool, four names are often mentioned as candidates: council leader Warren Bradley; Labour opposition leader Joe Anderson; culture supremo Phil Redmond; and business lobbyist Frank McKenna.
A Conservative would almost certainly tip their hat in the ring - possibly businessman Tony Caldeira - as would a Green and independents.
And the man running the campaign for an elected mayor - Liam Fogarty - has not ruled out running either.
In the past neither Cllr Bradley nor Cllr Anderson have been keen on the idea of an elected mayor.
While Mr McKenna has already said he would stand, Mr Redmond has kept his cards close to his chest on this subject, he is understood to harbour a passion for holding the post, and has enhanced his standing through his former role at Liverpool Culture Company.
I carried out a quick poll on Twitter, while this is not scientific what so ever, there was support for the idea of elected mayors, but what do you think?
Are opponents who say it would concentrate too much power in one individual right, or is elected mayor a necessity to restore interest in local government in these days of the power of celebrity and personality politics?
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David Bartlett
City editor of the Post and Echo covering politics, regeneration, and urban affairs.
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So, of all the possible candidates that are thought of - not a single woman!
Whenever the mayoral debate comes up, the national media instantly points to Hartlepool and says "they elected a football mascot monkey there."
I interviewed Stuart Drummond a couple of years after he, as H'Angus the Monkey, had become mayor, and he was perhaps one of the most refreshing politicans I've ever met, largely because he wasn't actually a party politician.
He brought a fresh eye to everything going on in Hartlepool Council and didn't accept everything as "oh, that's the way the council works" as most councillors do whenever they take over in power.
To that end, if a mayoral election was to take place, I think the important thing is to have a strong mix of independent people who won't fall into line with officers, or over-bearing existing councillors.
Phil Redmond appears to have demonstrated the ability to do that during 08, but would Frank McKenna, as a politician, be able to do the same?
The most important duty an elected mayor can perform is to restore public faith in the electoral process and be a true voice to those who elected them, free of political interference.