Alderman
From Free net encyclopedia
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly in a town or city with many jurisdictions. Members of Chicago's city council, for example, are known by the title of alderman.
The title is derived from the Anglo-Saxon position of Ealdorman, literally meaning "elder man", and was used by the chief nobles presiding over shires.
United Kingdom
Although the term originated in England, it had no clear definition there until the 19th century, as each municipal corporation had its own constitution. It was used in England, Wales and Ireland, but was not used in Scotland. Under the Municipal Reform Act 1835, municipal borough corporations consisted of councillors and aldermen. Aldermen would be elected not by the electorate, but by the council (including the outgoing aldermen), for a term of six years, which allowed a party that narrowly lost an election to retain control by choosing aldermen. This was altered in 1910 not to allow outgoing aldermen to vote. Aldermen were finally abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 in 1974, surviving a few years later in Greater London. County councils also elected Aldermen, but not rural district and urban district councils.
Councils can still create honorary aldermen, often a reward for long service. This award is used much more often in Northern Ireland than in England. Northern Ireland councils may additionally designate a quarter of their councillors as aldermen.
In the Corporation of London, aldermen are elected for each ward, by the regular electorate, and until recently for life. To be a candidate to be Lord Mayor of London, it is necessary to be an alderman and to have been a sheriff.
Republic of Ireland
In the Republic of Ireland the title was used by the first person elected in a multi-seat local government ward. The Local Government Act of 2001 abolished the title as part of a modernisation of local government, and as such none of the Councillors elected in the local elections of 2004 hold the title Alderman.