Where’s Wally? Oh—She Wants to Be Mayor Now

In the ever-turning carousel that is Newham politics, yet another familiar face is apparently eyeing the borough’s top job. Yes, Cllr Charlene McLean—or as her colleagues not-so-affectionately call her, "Where’s Wally?”—is reportedly floating the idea of a mayoral bid.

And we have to ask: is this ambition, audacity—or pure political delusion?

For those unfamiliar with the nickname, the comparison to the elusive cartoon character is sadly all too accurate. Like Wally, you often need a magnifying glass and a healthy dose of patience to locate Cllr McLean—be it in council meetings, community events, or even basic decision-making. She consistently ranks among the lowest in council attendance, despite having held one cabinet role or another for over seven years.

Cllr McLean was, in fact, Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz’s first Deputy Mayor back in 2018—though it didn’t take long for the Mayor to realise that enthusiasm isn’t the same as output. Sources at the time said Fiaz grew increasingly frustrated with McLean’s poor attendance and underwhelming performance, leading to her swift removal and replacement by Cllr John Gray.

But in true Newham fashion, musical chairs is always the name of the game. When Gray and Fiaz spectacularly fell out, guess who was called back into the Deputy Mayor’s seat? You guessed it—Wally.

Unfortunately for McLean, her second stint was even shorter than the first. Enter Cllr James Asser, who dethroned her once again and took over the role. Yet through it all, McLean remained the ever-loyal soldier, seemingly happy to serve, be sidelined, serve again, and be sidelined once more.

This loyalty has come at a cost. As Cabinet Member for "Community and Resident Satisfaction"—a title that screams "we made this up", even by Town Hall standards—McLean oversaw one of the sharpest declines in resident satisfaction in recent memory. Some jokingly compare it to the stock market plunge after Trump’s tariff announcements. Except this wasn’t international trade. This was supposed to be about keeping Newham residents engaged, informed, and happy.

Instead, community confidence tanked. And while some say the “Community” portfolio is where political talent goes to nap, McLean still managed to leave a lasting impression—for all the wrong reasons.

But here’s the kicker: having voted in favour of every major decision made by Mayor Fiaz, and having sat loyally by her side through one calamity after another, McLean now wants to lead the borough. How exactly she plans to distance herself from the wreckage of the Fiaz era is anyone’s guess.

The idea that McLean could now position herself as a fresh alternative is met with derision even within her own political circles. Her record is thin, her presence often absent, and her ambitions… well, ambitious.

With Newham’s Labour CLPs still suspended, it won’t be local party members deciding who gets the nomination—it’ll be up to the Labour NEC. And if they choose Charlene McLean, residents may find themselves asking not “Where’s Wally?”—but “What on Earth is going on?”