On 18 October 2001 there was a referendum on whether Hartlepool should have a directly elected mayor. The referendum saw a narrow vote in favour with 10,667 yes votes and 10,294 no votes on a turnout of 31%.[6] The first election in 2002 saw an independent candidate Stuart Drummond elected and he has been re-elected in both the 2005 and 2009 elections.[7] A referendum to abolish the mayoralty in 2012 succeeded, with 58.7% favouring a cabinet system.[8]