Haverfordwest: Ex-sergeant who fell for armed robber made mayor
- Published
Deputy Mayor Jill Owens holds her head in her hands during a Haverfordwest Town Council meeting.
A former police sergeant who fell for an armed robber is set to become her town's mayor after facing opposition.
Haverfordwest's deputy mayor Jill Owens was set to take over as mayor in April in a process that is normally a formality.
But another councillor broke tradition in also making a bid for the position.
Ms Owens called the council's clerk "impartial" and the current mayor a "disgrace" before eventually winning the day.
She had been a decorated officer with Dyfed Powys Police but was "required to resign" in 2008 when her relationship with an armed robber was revealed.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service there were no arguments about Ms Owen's suitability as mayor and, as deputy mayor, she was next in line to take over the job.
But Ms Owen's name was joined by that of another councillor, Rhys Evans, when applications for the 2023-24 mayor were eventually announced at the town council's March meeting.
Mr Evans said he had been "approached by several members of the community asking if I would stand as mayor," adding he thought "it would be negligent of me not to stand."
Jill Owens, at a her home in Haverfordwest, is set to become mayor after her election caused a row
Current mayor Alan Buckfield and town clerk Juliet Raymond were criticised by Ms Owens for allowing a rival candidate to stand.
Peter Lewis, one of several former town mayors present at the meeting, said no other nominations could be received if the deputy mayor had already offered to stand.
"This council is being asked for the first time in its history to break its own rules," he said.
Ms Owens accused Mr Buckfield of ignoring technical advice and riding "roughshod" over the council's code of conduct.
The acrimonious election of a mayor happened in the Haverfordwest Town Council offices
Ms Owens said the way the process had been conducted was "disgusting", and described Mr Buckfield as a "disgrace to the town".
But Mr Evans' bid to become mayor was defeated in a vote by council members.
Justice prevails
Several councillors were then seen leaving the meeting, including Mr Evans and councillors Richard Blacklaw-Jones and Gareth Roberts.
All three formally resigned as councillors the following day.
Ms Owens was formally adopted as mayor, and said after the meeting that such an incident had "never, ever happened in 900 years".
"The town council of Haverfordwest needs to change, it needs to be more open and transparent. At the end of the day justice did prevail," she said.
Mr Buckfield said he believed in democracy and the rights of people "to express themselves in a proper and distinguished manner".
"The whole point of the debate was to test the standing order," he said. "To my mind the only way to test that was by voting."
He said the incoming mayor's criticism of Ms Raymond "worried him".
"Duty of care towards the clerk was sadly lacking," he said.
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- Published27 January 2023
