Marzia Nicodemi-Ehikioya won’t like this. Like that’s ever stopped us in the past.
Heroic, in a modest manner: Marzia Nicodemi-Ehikioya
But the Shirley resident is Inside Croydon’s “Hero of the Week”, because she took a stand – or rather a seat – against a jumped-up little tyrant.
Monday’s full council meeting at the Town Hall was started by the mayor of Croydon, Eddy Arram, with a call for those gathered to stand for a minute’s silence in memory of Baroness Thatcher.
Fair enough. The mayor is at liberty to abuse his position to further. After all, why change the habit of the past year?
The conduct of Arram, the Ashburton councillor with a day job as Gavin’s Gofer, has been so disgraceful that it prompted a number of former mayors to submit a formal letter of complaint.
But what the mayoralty does not give him, or anyone at Croydon Council, is the right to compel people to conduct themselves in a “respectful” manner towards someone whom many believe does not deserve such respect.
Nicodemi-Ehikioya chose not to stand. Mayor Arram got all agitated, ordering her to stand. Nicodemi-Ehikioya refused. She remained seated. Arram, like a power-crazed little dictator, ordered her from the Town Hall chamber “never to return”. Nicodemi-Ehikioya acted with the utmost restraint and dignity. In marked contrast to our mayor.
Nicodemi-Ehikioya left the chamber, but returned after the minute’s silence, as she was entitled to do so.
John Stuart Mill once said: “Whatever crushes individuality is despotism.” Standing up, or even sitting down, to tyranny, even pathetic little men like Croydon Mayor Arram, is in its own modest way heroic.
“I am no hero,” said Nicodemi-Ehikioya, the editor of online local magazine Shirley Life. “My father, who fought in the resistance in Italy in the war was a hero.
“I was simply doing my duty, my civic duty.”
Indeed. For which we thank Marzia Nicodemi-Ehikioya and that is why she is this week’s Inside Croydon Hero of the Week.
- Who is your choice as Inside Croydon Hero of the Week? Send your nominations for this prize-less accolade to inside.croydon@btinternet.com with “Hero of the Week” in the subject field, and no more than 200 words on why you think they deserve recognition for the actions in the previous seven days. And please include a daytime contact phone number
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