Councillors Mo Marsh and Kevin Allen are not the only ones to have been deselected (May 8), nor will they be the last.

The reduction in the number of councillors from 78 to 54 means there will inevitably be other casualties.

Some of us have decided to bow to the inevitable and concentrate on serving the community in other ways.

Happily, Coun Allen has been selected to fight Preston ward, where he has other community ties.

However, unlike many others, Coun Marsh stood specifically to seek election in the ward she has represented since 1996.

In doing so, she has displayed an immense commitment to her constituents in Whitehawk and East Brighton and great integrity - a quality sorely lacking in politics today.

Lest people despair about their representation, until May 2003, Marine ward still exists and the three sitting councillors, Mo Marsh, Kevin Allen and I, will continue to serve our constituents to the best of our abilities.

Finally, while it is true Warren Morgan and Craig Turton were active in the referendum campaign, they were on the pro rather than the anti mayor side of the campaign, unlike the three sitting councillors.

-Coun Catherine Shelley, Marine ward, Brighton