Teri pair to lead Greens

Susan Rae and John Ross Scott, Green councillors in Edinburgh and Orkney respectively, have successfully run a joint campaign to become the co-conveners of the Association of Scottish Green Councillors.

The duo whose efforts on the Scottish Greens’ Election and Campaigns Committee helped to double the number of Green Councillors – Including Neil Mackinnon in Galashiels – will in the year ahead jointly chair meetings of councillors and lead candidates across Scotland, allowing them to liaise and catch up on issues and shared opportunities.

John, a former Scottish Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson, Leader of Scottish Borders Council, Honorary Provost of Hawick and senior journalist at the Southern Reporter is possibly best remembered for his role in helping to bring the Borders Railway to fruition.

He went on to chair NHS Orkney and has been an Orkney Islands councillor for Kirkwall East Ward since 2017, coming top in his ward and recording the second best Greens result in May’s Scottish council elections

Meanwhile, Susan, is a founder of Hawick (now Borders) Women’s Aid, and studied both Politics and English Literature at Newbattle Abbey College and Strathclyde University, working with Medical Aid for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, the Centre for the Study of Public Policy, as an Economic Development officer at Scottish Borders Council, then with Edinburgh TUC’s Support@Work Project.

Well known as a feminist and a campaigner against gender based violence and poverty, staunch trade unionist Susan was elected as a Scottish Green Councillor for Leith Walk Ward in Edinburgh City Council in 2017 and topped the poll again in May with a 6% increase in vote.

She is her party’s housing spokesperson and participatory budgeting champion and a City of Edinburgh Bailie who, as such, represented the Scottish Greens at the ceremonies in Edinburgh following the death of the Queen and accession of the King.

The duo who first met in the former Hawick Express offices in Howegate in 1978 – Susan as an administrator and John as a reporter – topped the poll in the recent ASGC election when all councillors and lead candidates had a chance to vote.

Their assistant co-conveners within the ASGG will be Councillor Anthony Carroll, who represents Dennistoun Ward on Glasgow City Council and Debra Nicholson from Shetland.