Mayor is normally elected at the same Council meeting as the Lord Mayor. The Lord's Mayor's role is largely ceremonial, but does include the following powers and duties: In times of natural disaster the Lord Mayor may direct resources such as Police, Fire and Ambulance as they see fit Presiding over meetings of the council and, in the case of equality of votes, the Lord Mayor has a second or casting vote Promoting and raising awareness of the council's main objectives and priority issues Encouraging and supporting all aspects of life in Belfast by attending civic and public events Receiving distinguished visitors to the city Acting as host on behalf of the council and the citizens of Belfast at civic functions Acting as a spokesperson to the local, national and international media Providing an appropriate response on behalf of Belfast at times of local, national and international catastrophe Supporting and encouraging charitable and other appeals as appropriate Promoting Belfast's business, commercial, cultural and social life Promoting Belfast as a place of excellence in which to do business and as a tourist destination. The position that is now the Lord Mayor originated in 1613 in the town's Royal Charter as the 'Sovereign of Belfast'. In 1842, this position was restyled the 'Mayor of Belfast'. When Belfast was granted city status in 1892, the position was given Lord Mayor status, making it one of only three cities on the island of Ireland having a Lord Mayor, the other two being Cork and Dublin. In 1929, it became one of only six cities in the United Kingdom to have a Lord Mayor styled "the Right Honourable". Until 1973 the position was held for three years, when it was reduced to its current term of one year. From its formation in 1921 until its abolition in 1972, the Lord Mayor was automatically entitled to a seat in the Senate of Northern Ireland. For most of the city's modern history, the position has been held by unionists, with members of the Ulster Unionist Party holding the post for a total of 61 of the 67 years between 1921 and 1997. The first non-unionist Lord Mayor since the partition of Ireland in 1921 was David Cook from the Alliance Party, who was elected in 1978. The first Irish nationalist Lord Mayor was not appointed until the election of Alban Maginness from the SDLP in 1997, while