Tributes were paid to two former Wokingham borough councillors at last week’s meeting of the full council.
Speaking of Cllr Norman Jorgensen, Wokingham borough mayor, Cllr Adrian Mather, said: ”Norman made an important contribution to the council, and the borough, across his many years as a councillor.
“He was always polite, courteous, and had a warm smile for all those who came into contact with him.
“He will be missed by us all.”
Leader of the council, Cllr Stephen Conway, said: “I think I should also just start by reminding colleagues that besides losing Norman, we recently also lost Gary Cowan, no longer a member of council of course, but many of you will remember Gary, who was a councillor over many years.
“He stood down in the 2024 elections, and I think we would all be sad to know that he is no longer with us.
“Norman made many, very important contributions to this council, both as an executive member and more recently in opposition.
“He was always polite and courteous in debate. I do not recall him ever losing his temper.
“He brought his considerable intellect to bear on all the matters that he considered, and though a Conservative through and through, he listened to others and approached every issue in a rational way.
“While I usually disagreed with him, I admired his political style.
“He seemed to me, as an outsider looking in, to be a very considerable asset to the Conservative group.
“He will surely be missed by his colleagues, not just in the Conservative Group, but across this council chamber and beyond.
“I am sure the whole council would want to join with me in expressing our sincere condolences to Pauline, David, Elizabeth, and little Finn.
Councillor Rachel Burgess, leader of the Labour group, said: “ I would like to echo Stephen’s comments about Gary Cowan, a champion of Arborfield for an impressive 27 years, and our sincere condolences go to his family at this time.
“We were so sorry to hear the news of Norman’s death. He served our Borough for many, many years in his role as a councillor, and on the executive taking up several positions, including children’s services, environment and sports and leisure, and as part of his portfolio he oversaw the development of Bulmershe leisure centre and Maiden Erlegh school science block.
“He also helped with the implementation of the weekly food waste collection, which was a major and really positive step forward for the borough.
“His calm and measured contributions .. always demanded attention because of the weight of the consideration that had gone into them.
“We recognise a man driven by public service and we are all grateful for his dedication and commitment.
“On behalf of our group, I would like to extend our sincere condolences to Pauline and her family, and Norman’s colleagues and friends.”
