RAY Mallon has to wait until 5am this morning to learn that he had won a second term as Mayor of Middlesbrough.
The former detective gained 58.5 per cent of the vote - polling 10,000 more votes than his nearest rival - but his former deputy was deposed by an overwhelming majority.
Bob Brady, the former Labour deputy mayor didn't hang around to listen to the shock announcement that he had lost his Beckfield seat.
The Labour Party held onto power with a slender majority after they retained 25 of the 46 seats declared last night.
A tightly-fought battle for the two seats in the Ayresome ward will resume at 2pm this afternoon. The count was abandoned following two recounts with the result too close to call.
The results for Middlesbrough Mayor were: Ray Mallon (Ind), 17,455; Joe Michna (Lib Dem), 7,026; Charles Michael Rooney (Lab), 3,539; Sorothy Smith (Con), 1,733.
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