“Are you really suprised...lets face it voting for somebody who has already been involved in local politics for 30 years was never going to breathe any new life into the job.....

Nick Bye was not well liked, and at cases wreckless almost to the point of imcompetence, BUT at least he had ideas. Something that seems singularly lacking the the current incumbent...again are you surprised.

Seems to me that Torbay has lurched from...

A mayor with ideas, who communicated with the public ( you might not have liked his ideas or what he said but that's a different matter )

To be replaced by an individual who does not know the meaning of communication, seems to favour maintaining the status quo and is unlikely to have an original idea at any time in the future.

Be careful what you wish and vote for....”

“I suppose the evidence of 30 years in local politics says it all really. Thirty years of hot-air with little or nothing to show for it except, perhaps, a plum little £60k number as mayor.

Do you think the few dozen Tory blue rinse brigade in the local Conservative party who shafted Nick Bye are proud of themselves now?

If we still had a daily local paper perhaps Oliver could be shamed into some sort of action.”

“I used to complain and winge about ex Mayor Nick Bye. Every time i opened the Herald Express he was there on just about every page. I was so pleased when he was voted out and thought at last we might get a Mayor who is more interested in the area and its people than getting his face in the paper. My question is, where is the Mayor ?, five months and not a sign of him. When you consider how much he is being paid from our hard earned taxes what has he done in the last five months. My other question is, do we need one, i think the answer is no, we dont. In these days of cutbacks with important public services being axed and starved of cash, do we need the expence of this useless office. If it were an unpaid job would they be fighting to do it, no, of course not, so where are you Mr Mayor, are you locked up in some secure room planning lots of fabulous improvements for the Bay, or are you just picking up your monthly pay cheque hopeing nobody will notice.”

“Who is, where is Gordon Oliver? Conspicuous by his absence! Nick Bye at least did his best to put Torbay back on the map and start to improve facilities in keeping with the Bays aspiring Riviera image which had become sad and laughable when he took office. He had ideas good and bad but at least he had ideas, aims and aspirations for Torbay and at least he was a visible Mayor unlike the present incumbent. The ousting of Nick Bye was wholly political - a lot of his no-hoper colleagues in the Conservatives voted him out for personal and political reasons rather than seeking improvement. So what have we got now? A 'past it' fuddy duddy' hiding behind the curtains, invisible to the people who naively voted him in. Years of going nowhere and achieving nothing! Tourism is a very competitive market and one and the Bay cannot afford to be inactive and invisible. Can't wait to say goodbye and good riddance to Oliver and who knows, Nick Bye may be welcomed back with open arms.”

“Maybe gordon Oliver is reluctant to engage with the Herald because for at least two years they have been rubbishing him constantly. Its the responsibility of the newspaper to be gain the respect to be able to liaise with with people.”

“Nick Bye used to pop out of the Town Hall for a sandwich about lunch time, he would hurry out and hurry back passed the drug afflicted town hall bench squad with a look of fear in his eyes. He would then pop up in the Herald saying how safe Torquay was and a great place for a family holiday. Nick loved his picture in the paper and loved his column. But did that make him a good mayor. Did that mean his decisions were great. I don't blame the new major for keeping his head low in Torquay at the moment, look at the state of it. And I don't blame the new mayor for keeping his face out of the Herald at the moment, look at the state of it. However if Torquay doesn't start to improve soon the new mayor may soon become the old mayor. I'd like to see a bit more from Robert Excell as well, he gets my vote every time but Torquay is becoming the new Beruit. It needs a good clean out.”