Star comment: Mayor vote should not be ignored

And although the mayoral campaign has not really caught the public’s imagination, the worst thing we can do is to ignore the election.

This is an important vote for this region. It deserves a decent turnout.

The danger for those who choose not to vote in the mayoral election is that they could end up handing power to someone they fundamentally disagree with. The only way to stop this from happening is to have your say at the polling booth.

All along, there is a suspicion that Labour has been deliberately attempting to downplay this election in the hope that a low turnout will favour the party’s candidate, Sion Simon.

We can only hope that a significant number of people have become sufficiently engaged in the mayoral race to go out and cast their votes.

The position of Mayor will hold real power in the West Midlands, regardless of whether people vote in the election.

Essentially, it will be won by one of two candidates.

The Conservatives have put forward Andy Street, a hugely successful businessman who gave up his million-pound-a-year job at John Lewis to make his mayoral bid.

He has shown that if elected, he will bring energy and drive to the role. The campaign has already seen him visit other countries to fly the flag for the West Midlands on the world stage.

Mr Street has some bold plans for the region, exemplified by his vow to bring the Commonwealth Games here and to make the West Midlands the birthplace of a new, technical industrial revolution.

Labour’s Sion Simon has one big advantage over his Tory rival, in that he has years of political experience under his belt.

Having previously served as an MP for more than a decade, he certainly knows his way around the corridors of power.

Whether that will be of any benefit, considering the likelihood of a Tory government for the next five years, remains to be seen. Either way, it is just possible that the General Election announcement has stirred greater interest in the race for Mayor.

Pollsters will undoubtedly seize upon tomorrow’s result as a bellwether of public opinion as we head towards June 8. But it is more important that the people of the West Midlands get out and have their say.