Official Vote for the Lord Mayor of the Cathedral Quarter 2011 Mayoral candidate: Kathy Young   It’s apt that the darkest horse in this race of dusky equines is called Kathy Young. Apt because unlike Martin Lynch and Terri Hooley, she’s clearly a woman. And being called ‘Karl’ would just confuse the issue. Her name is further apt, because she really, really looks like a ‘Kathy’. A glance at her picture will confirm that instantly. Kathy also happens to be the youngest of the candidates in the mayoral race, and in many ways is the best placed to assume the mantle of mayor of the Cathedral Quarter. As a tireless and loyal arts administrator, organiser and general fixer Kathy allocates herself elegantly slimly about the Cathedral Quarter. Beneficiaries of her redoubtable talents include the Beat Initiative, Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, Young at Art (no relation) and the Black Box, of which she is a passionate advocate. Much loved in the area, especially when she’s processing overdue invoices, Kathy started the race as a rank outsider, but with the big boys beginning to falter and the young vote (pun unavoidable) beginning to count, Kathy goes into the final hurdle neck and neck with bookie’s favourite Terri Hooley. With age, looks and a low cholesterol level on her side, Kathy Young may be the woman for the campaign, for the hour, for the Cathedral Quarter. Early accusations of her being a proxy for Sean Kelly, director of the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, seem to have subsided now as Kathy has clearly demonstrated that she’s her own woman in a series of heating electoral exchanges in the John Hewitt and Duke of York bars. With a strong campaigning grassroots team behind her, Kathy looks increasingly likely to push things right to the wire against her more august, and hairy-eared opponents. Like a giant Origami swan, Kathy’s election campaign is still unfolding weeks into the process, but there’s still no sign of a left or right wing. Kathy’s evolving agenda is starting to take interesting shape though and while she’s keen to play down the ‘chicks not dicks’ tagline that some of her more effusive supporters have been espousing, we can be certain that Kathy is standing on a ‘Save the Black Box’ ticket. The hugely popular venue and focal point of the Cathedral Quarter is in danger of closing next year – Kathy has already pledged to raise awareness of this in her campaign and if elected, she will continue to campaign on this. Oh and she’s also promised to call for the erection of two ‘living legends’ statues of a couple of chaps called Terri Hooley and Martin Lynch. Whoever they are…