Plain Eric Milligan, as he will be known after 3 May, has been a mainstay at the City Chambers for 43 years.
The long-time councillor has somehow managed to hang on to his palatial office (more living room than office!) on a floor a couple of levels below the High Street, but which nonetheless has superb views to Cockburn Street below and the city beyond. At this year’s elections he will not be a candidate choosing to be an ordinary citizen once more. He will have a job on his hands though as he has had a long career with two stints as Lord Provost among his personal history.
The walls of his office are festooned with many photos of Eric during his long career as councillor and Lord Provost of the city. Here he is photographed with Nelson Mandela, there’s Her Majesty The Queen who is visiting the City Chambers and walking up the red carpet with Eric at her side.
But more than anything else Milligan is a massive fan of America and has been attending the Tartan Week celebrations since they began.
He and wife Janis are established guests in a plush hotel in downtown Manhattan each year, and last Saturday he marched down Sixth Avenue once again.
Sadly we have no photographic evidence of Eric on the march ourselves, as somehow we managed to miss him!
But safe to say that Eric was there, addressing the University of Edinburgh alumni ahead of the march itself, sporting his kilt with a beautiful bow tie, now one of his sartorial trademarks.
Then he marched with the University of Edinburgh Alumni down Sixth Avenue specially cleared of traffic for the occasion.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
