As a year of glamorous photoshoots with our blonde bombshell mayor Loriane Sladden nears its end, Mayor-Elect Thomas Chan talks of his excitement about becoming the borough's first Chinese representative.

THOMAS Chan was a Redbridge councillor as far back as when shell suits were trendy and yo-yos were all the rage, and after a two-year stint in the cabinet, he has finally been bestowed with the ultimate honour.

On May 14, current Redbridge Mayor Lorraine Sladden will officially hand over her ceremonial and civic duties to Councillor Thomas Chan after he was picked by the cabinet for the position above another unknown candidate.

For the next year he will be required to abandon his political affiliations, keep the peace at often rowdy council meetings and say "cheese" at an endless stream of photo opportunities.

Talking exclusively to the Guardian, Mr Chan said: "I felt I would enjoy the challenge of being the mayor for a year, but obviously I had to run it past my wife first but she was very supportive.

"I believe I would have something to offer the post of mayor, as although in the past we have had mayors from diverse backgrounds, such as Oshak Kumar who's Indian and Alan Weinberg who's Jewish, as far as I know I will be the borough's first Chinese mayor.

"I would like to use the year to find out more about Redbridge and I think the Chinese community will be pleased to see me there and I hope it will encourage them to put themselves forward for other positions."

After Lorraine Sladden was forced to remove a councillor from the chamber when turbulent rows erupted during her very first meeting as mayor last year, Mr Chan is hoping his zen-like calm will be transmitted to others when he takes the reigns next month.

He said: "All the councillors feel very strongly about issues affecting Redbridge so the political debate can get quite heated.

"I hope to manage it with balance, dignity and respect and hopefully I can draw on my cultural background to find a mutual ground."