Joanne Anderson never had any intention of becoming the elected mayor of her city.
In fact her brief foray into local politics was due to come to an end in the spring of 2021 when she intended to step down as a backbench city councillor after just two years.
All that changed when the incumbent mayor and Labour's nomination to continue in the role, Joe Anderson, was arrested and stepped down from his position. After a chaotic selection process saw three existing candidates wiped from the process, the little known councillor with a remarkably similar name to the departing mayor stepped forward.
