Cross-party tributes paid to council deputy leader, who passed away

Cross-party tributes have been paid to “an excellent” councillor and deputy leader who has passed away.

Mair Stephens was warmly recalled by all political groups in Carmarthenshire as someone who was passionate about her ward, and who  “called a spade a spade” at a meeting of full council.

Cllr Stephens, who led the Independent group, died on January 9 following an illness.

Council leader Emlyn Dole said she brought “total commitment” to her St Ishmaels ward, and that he could always depend on her full support.

“It was a pleasure to work with her and alongside her,” he said.

The Plaid Cymru leader said there was no hiding place with Cllr Stephens.

He said: “She called a spade a spade, and I mean that as a compliment.”

She lived life to the full, he said, and had shown exceptionally bravery in the face of illness.

Independent colleague, Cllr Jane Tremlett, recalled Cllr Stephens’s thorough preparation, sense of service and “complete ownership” of her portfolio.

‘Totally approachable’

She also described her as “totally approachable” and someone who handled any problem with complete discretion.

Cllr Kevin Madge, on behalf of the Labour group, said Cllr Stephens was one to watch when she was elected in 2004, and that he had been proved right.

He said he learned so much from Cllr Stephens, that she was an “excellent” councillor, and that only last November she was “full of beans and thinking of the future” when he spoke to her on the phone.

Cllr Madge and others praised the various voluntary work Cllr Stephens carried out, including for the Women’s Institute, and offered their condolences to her husband, son and mother.

Cllr Stephens also served as a Llandyfaelog community councillor for more than 40 years.

At a cabinet meeting earlier this week, Cllr Dole referred to her “wise counsel” and “wicked sense of humour”.