Tributes have been paid to Eurig Thomas, a former Sheriff of York who was also one of the architects of the city council.
Mr Thomas has died at the age of 90.
A former Liberal Democrat group leader, he was one of the first councillors on the unitary City of York Council in 1996.
Mr Thomas and his family came to live in York in 1971, when he accepted the position of head of department at York College, later becoming assistant principal until his retirement in 1992.
He settled in Huntington with his family and joined Huntington Parish Council in 1979, serving on it for over 20 years, many as chair.
He was elected to Ryedale District Council in 1983, topping the poll at an election which saw massive gains for the then Liberal-Alliance. He was chairman of the council in its penultimate civic year of 1994/5.
He was a mainstay of the new City of York Council during its first term to 1999, acting as Deputy Lib Dem Leader and Lib Dem spokesperson for education.
His friend and fellow councillor Richard Watson said Mr Thomas was one of “only a handful of councillors who shaped the new authority in 95-96”.
He was the first Lib Dem Sheriff of the new authority in 1997/8.
Mr Thomas was appointed a Justice of the Peace on the York City Bench in 1976, serving as a magistrate for over 20 years.
An enthusiastic sportsmen in his youth, he later becoming a football coach and was a past president of both York & District Rugby League and New Earswick All Blacks Rugby League Club.
Charles Hall, who served alongside him as a councillor, said, “Eurig was a great orator. He could summaries others’ views and structure a logical alternative.
“His greatest ability was to be able to communicate with all other political groups and he was a superb analyst.”
Cllr Richard Watson, president of York Lib Dems, said: “Whether it was in the council chamber, the courtroom or a lecture theatre, Eurig was a master of the language of persuasion.
“That is amply illustrated when I look back at his contribution in respect of the development of Monks Cross and, particularly, the provision of the early sports facilities there.”
He was heavily involved in the development of both the first stadium and the Waterworld swimming pool at Monks Cross.
He had a way with words, Cllr Watson told YorkMix: “It was as though he’d been theatrically trained, because there was that deep, rounded voice.
“He could always work out how to enter a conversation and whether it should be a note of gravitas, whether it should be a light hearted note.”
Cllr Watson added: “He loved to go and have a drink and a chat. He whilst he gave more than 100% to the political job, and his task as a magistrate and his job at the college, he could always see the funny side of things.”
Eurig is survived by Julie, his wife of sixty-six years, his three children, Karen, Mark and Rhydian, and six grandchildren.
