Former Mayor of Stafford Mike Shone has served the borough as a councillor for 24 years. A forward-thinking and dedicated public servant, Mike was responsible for launching the borough's first kerbside recycling scheme when he chaired the borough council’s Environmental Health Committee in (1995-99). Having completed his year as Mayor of Stafford Borough in 2006-7, Mike resigned from the Labour Party after thirty-five years because of its abandonment of progressive values for conservative ones. In 2008, having considered other options, Mike decided to join the Green Party as he felt its members shared his views more closely than any other group. Having lectured sociology at Stafford College for many years, Mike now works as an interviewer on national surveys, which gives him wide contact with the British public and their opinions. Mike has a daughter, Sophie, and three grandchildren, and plans to marry his partner Robin, who teaches at Keele University, in 2010. Mike is concerned that the County Council under the current Labour leadership is storing up financial problems, which will have a direct, negative impact on services. It has entered into far too many "buy now pay later" schemes on disastrously expensive terms. The planned incinerator at Four Ashes is a good example of how Labour’s short-sightedness is going to create long-term problems. Not only will the scheme pollute Stafford’s environment with deadly toxins, it will also be a massive drain on the council's finances, as the contractor operating the site will charge huge sums throughout the bank-busting 30-year contract. Furthermore the incinerator will be a massive setback to Stafford’s efforts to help combat global warming by pouring tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Mike also fears that the incinerator will lead to cuts in services and a rise in council tax bills. Mike says: “I believe the Green Party represents a real alternative, offering a responsible balance between Labour waste and Tory cuts to services. If elected I hope to be a constructive voice, arguing for better management of finances, services and priorities for Stafford.”

Mike lived in Stafford at the time , you could have read more on http://www.staffor...