 | 'John Porter, one of Aberdeen's most popular and respected councillors, has died suddenly aged 77. The long-serving leader of the Conservative group on Aberdeen City Council was in his 29th year of local government, having just been re-elected to represent the Midstocket and Rosemount ward of the city.' Graeme Smith in the Herald, 23 rd May 2007 |  |
There was a by-election in the Midsocket/Rosemount ward of Aberdeen City Council on the 16 th August 2007 following the death of Conservative Cllr John Porter who had been a Cllr for 29 years.
Midsocket/Rosemount is in the Aberdeen North Westminster parliamentary seat (held by Labour's Frank Doran MP) and in the Aberdeen Central Scottish parliamentary seat (held by Labour's Dr Lewis MacDonald MSP). In May 2007, three Cllrs were elected: John Porter for the Conservatives, Bill Cormie for the Scottish National Party and Jenny Laing for Labour. The by-election follows the death of John Porter, leader of the Conservative group, on the 23 rd May 2007.
Scottish National Party gain from Conservative & Unionist.
 |
 |
 |
| Cllr John Corall Scottish National Party Newly elected Cllr |
Cllr Bill Cormie Scottish National Party |
Cllr Jenny Laing Labour |
| Seats | Candidates | Counts | Electorate | Turnout | Quota | Rejected votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 5 | 10,288 | 28.9 % | 1,479 | 21 |
| Candidate | Logo | Party | 1 st Pref | Share | Quota | Count | Status | Seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Munro Corall |  |
Scottish National Party | 873 | 29.53 % | 0.59 | 5 | Elected | 1 |
| Fraser Forsyth |  |
Conservative & Unionist | 821 | 27.77 % | 0.55 | 5 | Not elected | |
| Steve Delaney |  |
Liberal Democrat | 693 | 23.44 % | 0.47 | 5 | Eliminated | |
| Allan McIntosh |  |
Labour | 518 | 17.52 % | 0.35 | 4 | Eliminated | |
| Stephen Hadden |  |
Solidarity - Tommy Sheridan | 31 | 1.05 % | 0.02 | 3 | Eliminated | |
| Dennis Forbes Grattan |  |
Independent | 20 | 0.68 % | 0.01 | 2 | Eliminated |
| Adjustments | Exclusion of Grattan | Exclusion of Hadden | Exclusion of McIntosh | Exclusion of Delaney | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Count 1 | Count 2 | Count 3 | Count 4 | Count 5 |
| John Munro Corall | |
Scottish National Party | 873 | + 2 875 |
+ 10 885 |
+ 99 984 |
+ 274 1258 Elected |
| Fraser Forsyth | |
Conservative & Unionist | 821 | + 4 825 |
+ 1 826 |
+47 873 |
+ 249 1,122 Not elected |
| Steve Delaney | |
Liberal Democrat | 693 | + 7 700 |
+ 8 708 |
+ 161 869 |
- 869 Eliminated |
| Allan McIntosh | |
Labour | 518 | + 2 520 |
+ 9 526 |
- 529 Eliminated |
|
| Stephen Hadden | |
Solidarity - Tommy Sheridan | 31 | + 2 33 |
- 33 Eliminated |
||
| Dennis Forbes Grattan | |
Independent | 20 | - 20 Eliminated |
|||
| Non-transferable votes | 0 | + 3 3 |
+ 5 8 |
+ 222 230 |
+ 346 576 |
||
| Seats | Candidates | Counts | Electorate | Quota | Rejected votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 6 | 6 | ? | 1,358 | 60 |
| Candidate | Logo | Party | 1 st Pref | Share | Quota | Count | Status | Seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cllr John Porter | |
Conservative & Unionist | 1,503 | 27.67 % | 1.11 | 1 | Made Quota | 1 |
| Bill Cormie | |
Scottish National Party | 1,431 | 26.35 % | 1.05 | 2 | Made Quota | 2 |
| Jenny Laing | |
Labour | 1,144 | 21.06 % | 0.84 | 6 | Made Quota | 3 |
| Cllr Steve Delaney | |
Liberal Democrat | 671 | 12.35 % | 0.49 | 6 | Eliminated | |
| Jim Donaldson | |
Liberal Democrat | 529 | 9.74 % | 0.38 | 5 | Eliminated | |
| Christine Chandler |  |
Scottish Socialist Party | 153 | 2.82 % | 0.11 | 4 | Eliminated |
| Adjustments | Transfer of surplus from Porter | Transfer of surplus from Comrie | Exclusion of Chandler | Exclusion of Donaldson | Exclusion of Delaney | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Count 1 | Count 2 | Count 3 | Count 4 | Count 5 | Count 6 |
| Cllr John Porter | |
Conservative & Unionist | 1,503 Elected |
- 145 1358 |
||||
| Bill Cormie | |
Scottish National Party | 1,431 | + 0 1,431 Elected |
- 73 1,378 |
|||
| Jenny Laing | |
Labour | 1,144 | + 20.93 1,164.93 |
+ 11.12 1,176.05 |
+ 47.42 1,223.47 |
+ 57.94 1,281.41 |
+ 588.10 1869.51 Elected |
| Cllr Steve Delaney | |
Liberal Democrat | 671 | + 18.72 689.72 |
+ 13.26 702.98 |
+ 50.29 753.27 |
+ 448.56 1,201.82 |
- 1,201.82 Eliminated |
| Jim Donaldson | |
Liberal Democrat | 529 | + 34.54 563.54 |
+ 7.40 570.93 |
+ 16.06 586.99 |
- 586.99 Eliminated |
|
| Christine Chandler | |
Scottish Socialist Party | 153 | + 2.80 155.80 |
+ 11.43 167.22 |
-167.22 Eliminated |
||
| Non-transferable votes | 0 | + 68.02 68.02 |
+ 29.79 97.81 |
+ 53.45 151.27 |
+ 80.50 231.77 |
+ 613.73 845.49 |
||
A long-serving Aberdeen councillor and leader of the Conservative group has died at the age of 77.
John Porter had been re-elected to serve Midstocket and Rosemount.
Aberdeen City Council said he was an "immensely popular figure" in the local political scene who would be sorely missed.
A council spokesman said: "He will be a great loss to Aberdeen. He was known as a man of great humour and grace and as one of the world's gentlemen."
John Porter, one of Aberdeen's most popular and respected councillors, has died suddenly aged 77.
The long-serving leader of the Conservative group on Aberdeen City Council was in his 29th year of local government, having just been re-elected to represent the Midstocket and Rosemount ward of the city.
In addition to leading the council's Conservative group, he also performed the historic civic role of baillie.
He was elected to Grampian Regional Council in 1978 and led the authority's Conservative group between 1986 and 1996. That year, he was elected to Aberdeen City Council following local government reorganisation.
Regarded by all as "a true gentlemen", his popularity crossed political boundaries and last night council leader Kate Dean paid tribute to him. "I'm deeply saddened by the loss of a dear friend and colleague," she said. "John's death is a terrible loss for his family and friends; and those he represented with dedication."
Mr Porter was born in Aberdeen and attended the city's Central Senior Secondary School. He was a fellow of Robert Gordon University.
John Porter was a beacon of decency in the political maelstrom. During three decades as a Tory councillor in Aberdeen, he had many rivals but not a single enemy, being greatly liked across the political spectrum. Elected deputy lord provost of his native city in 2003, he was held by many to be "the best lord provost we never had". Unusually, he remained undecorated with any honour.
John became the target of election pundits across the UK when forecasts before the 1997 General Election suggested that with the predicted collapse of the Conservative vote in Scotland, he would be the only electable Tory north of the border.
This thought was based on his battles in the Gordon constituency in 1987 and 1992, the latter year being when he slashed Malcolm Bruce's Liberal Democrat majority in Gordon to a wafer-thin 274, producing for his own party a massive 21,884 votes.
In the event, however, Scottish Conservatives suffered wipe-out, and Porter was denied a Westminster seat. But, typical of the man, he was first after the count to pay gracious and generous to his opponent, Malcolm Bruce.
With verve and energy - he looked 15 years younger than his 76 years - John's image as a councillor who had time to meet, speak, discuss and listen was also the reality. This was despite him being leader of the Conservative group in the Granite City, spending a lifetime as a corporate finance consultant, being a director of Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre and with several chairmanships.
When the going got tough and council or political problems mounted, he refused to become stressed, citing his personal motto: "Vivaldi, not Valium."
Master of the apposite remark, when the SNP-Labour coalition holding power on Grampian Regional Council opted to rotate the office of council chairman between leaders of the two groups, he nicknamed them "the carousel conveners".
John Alexander Porter was born in Aberdeen, and through his father's work as a carrier, was brought up in the west Aberdeenshire communities of Strathdon and Lumsden, as well as Shetland. Educated in Huntly, Lerwick and Aberdeen, he was a keen sportsman, turning out as a useful wing-forward for the now long-defunct club Aberdeen Centralians.
After playing days he became a selector for North & Midlands, and always retained an interest in exercise, golfing right to the end, as well as for many years being with the esoteric Aberdeen fitness group, the FRS Club (Fellows of the Right Sort).
Porter was a politician who believed in the tradition of foot-slogging, and was ceaselessly out on the stump meeting and greeting on doorsteps.
The choice by the new ruling group in Aberdeen after the recent May 3 elections in appointing 18-year-old John West to the post of deputy lord provost drew scorn and criticism in equal measure from opponents, including Porter's own party. It was John, in his 77th year the previous holder of the post, who sprang to the defence of Scotland's youngest councillor, and robustly made the case for youth.
When the new councillor intake underwent training sessions last week, it typified Porter's professional attitude that he was there, seeing it as part of his duty to help the young bloods of all parties. He made the point never to underestimate the power of humour in politics. He led by example, for his banter in council chambers became a local spectator sport in its own right.
Porter bore the label "Conservative" but he could be puzzling to pigeonhole. Within the Town House, his conversation dealt with politics but rarely party politics. He was a close personal and political friend of Bob Middleton, Labour convener of Grampian Region, and counted people from every side as allies.
The warmth of Annabel Goldie's tribute to him was matched by those from every side. A man to whom manners mattered, John thrived on and was attracted by people.
For all his courtesy, he never shied from tough decisions. When Aberdeen drivers began to default on parking fines, it was he, as convener of the city's standards and scrutiny committee, who established and put into action a regime of tough debt collection - drawing on his professional expertise as a fellow of the Institute of Credit Management.
He died in Aberdeen from a heart attack just three weeks after re-election. He is survived by his wife, Evelyn; daughter, Shirley; and son, Eric.
A long-serving Aberdeen councillor and leader of the Conservative group who died suddenly at the age of 75 has been laid to rest.
John Porter had been re-elected to serve Midstocket and Rosemount but passed away last Wednesday.
Aberdeen City Council said he was an "immensely popular figure" who would be sorely missed.
Hundreds attended a Requiem Mass in St Mary's Cathedral. Donations could be made to the British Heart Foundation.
Mr Porter was in his 29th year in local government.
Council leader Kate Dean said: "John was respected and admired across political boundaries as a man who was tenacious in his pursuit of what he believed in, but with great grace, wisdom and humour.
"He did a tremendous amount for the city and the north east of Scotland and he will be sorely missed."
Every council
Lord Provost Peter Stephen said the thoughts of the council were with Mr Porter's family.
He said: "John was a man of great integrity who will be remembered by all who knew him as one of this world's true gentleman."
He was elected to Grampian Regional Council in 1978 and led the authority's Conservative group between 1986 and 1996.
That year, he was elected to Aberdeen City Council following local government reorganisation and had served in every council since.
Six candidates are set to contest a by-election in Aberdeen prompted by the death of veteran Conservative councillor John Porter.
SNP, Labour, Lib Dem, Conservative, Independent and Solidarity candidates plan to contest the vote.
Midstocket and Rosemount councillor Mr Porter, 75, passed away in late May.
The 16 August poll will be the first by-election in Scotland since the switch to proportional representation for local authority elections.
Sorely missed
The six candidates, listed alphabetically, are John Corall (SNP); Steve Delaney (Lib Dem); Fraser Forsyth (Conservative); Dennis Grattan (Independent); Stephen Hadden (Solidarity); and Alan McIntosh (Labour).
Officials urged electors with any questions on voting to contact the election unit (01224) 814747.
Aberdeen City Council said after Mr Porter's death he was an "immensely popular figure" who would be sorely missed.
Mr Porter was in his 29th year in local government.
There has been a change to the planned line-up for an election public meeting to be held this week in Aberdeen by the Solidarity political party.
Former MSP Tommy Sheridan is no longer able to go to Wednesday night's meeting as previously advertised, but hopes to visit the city later in the year.
The revised line-up for the meeting in the run-up to the Midstocket and Rosemount by-election, to be held at Mile-End Primary School at 7pm, will see candidate Steve Hadden supported by prominent Solidarity members Professor Mike Gonzalez and Steve Arnott.
Council bosses have had to change postal vote arrangements because of Royal Mail strike action.
Aberdeen City Council has made special arrangements for counting postal votes for a by-election on August 16, to ensure all the votes are counted.
The Midstocket/Rosemount by-election was called after the death of veteran councillor John Porter.
For those who have requested a postal ballot but are concerned about casting it due to Royal Mail industrial action, a number of additional options are now in place.
Postal votes can be handed in directly to polling stations between 7am and 10pm.
Ballot boxes will also be available for postal votes during normal business hours at the Election Unit, Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre; St Nicholas House, Broad Street; Central Library and Rosemount Community Centre.
Postal votes handed in outwith the polling stations will be accepted until 5pm on August 16 - 4.30pm at Rosemount Community Centre.
Courier deliveries can be made to the Election Unit on the day of the by-election at the sender's expense.
The count takes place on August 17.
Reader comments
This is very helpful but I would add 3 points. It is still possible for a voter to return a vote by post if he/she is willing to risk delays due to industrial action. The Election Office at Balgownie 1 will accept hand delivered postal votes any day between 0830 and 1700 and on polling day between 0700 and 2200 While it is unlikely that many voters would want to use the facility, courier deliveries can also be accepted there between these times. These arrangements only apply to postal votes. All other electors (or proxies) can oonly vote at their allocated polling station between 0700 and 2200 on Thursday 16th August.
Crawford Langley, Senior Depute Returning Officer, Election Unit, Balgownie 1, Aberdeen
A Controversial counting system won't be used in an Aberdeen by-election.
Instead of the much maligned electronic system, council staff will count votes by hand.
The Midstocket/Rosemount by-election, caused by the death of veteran councillor John Porter, is on Thursday.
The count will be held the next day in Summerhill, and may take several hours.
But city council leader Kate Dean has dismissed suggestions the hand count is to avoid the electronic method used at the the council and Scottish Executive elections.
It caused confusion and a thousands of spoiled ballot papers.
Councillor Dean said: "We are talking about a lot less votes to count and just one candidate for the ward rather than several, so it is far easier to count by hand."
Candidates for the seat are from the SNP, Lib Dems, Tories, Labour and Solidarity, with one independent.
In elections using Single Transferable Vote, electors mark candidates by preference. They can vote for as many or as few as they wish.
Once valid ballot papers are counted, the minimum number of votes a candidate needs to be elected, or quota, is calculated.
In this by-election, there is only one seat, so there will be no transfer of preference votes from candidates that have met the quota.
The Election Office, at Balgownie 1, at the AECC, will accept hand delivered postal votes any day between 8.30am and 5pm and on polling day between 7am and 10pm.
Courier deliveries can also be made at these times.
Other electors and proxy voters only vote at their allocated polling station between 7am and 10pm on Thursday.
Candidates: John Corall (SNP)
Steve Delaney (Liberal Democrat)
Fraser Forsyth (Conservative)
Dennis Grattan (Independent)
Stephen Hadden (Solidarity)
Alan McIntosh (Labour).
Voters are set to go to the polls again for the first time since May's elections.
The Midstocket/Rosemount by-election takes place tomorrow.
Te count will be held the next day in Summerhill and is likely to take several hours.
The election, which will be counted by hand, was prompted by the death of veteran councillor John Porter, pictured.
The candidates are John Corall (SNP); Steve Delaney (Liberal Democrat); Fraser Forsyth (Conservative); Dennis Grattan (Independent); Stephen Hadden (Solidarity) and Alan McIntosh (Labour).
It will use the Single Transferable Vote system, where electors are asked to mark candidates by preference - 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on. They can vote for as many or as few candidates as they wish. Once the total number of valid ballot papers is totted up, the minimum number of votes a candidate needs to be elected, or quota, is calculated.
In this by-election, as there is only one seat to be filled, there will be no transfer of preference votes from candidates that have successfully met the quota.
The Election Office at Balgownie was accepting hand-delivered postal votes today between 8.30am and 5pm and on polling day between 7am and 10pm.
Courier deliveries will also be accepted there between these times.
All other electors or proxy voters only vote at their allocated polling station between 7am and 10pm tomorrow.
Scotland's first council by-election since the introduction of the new single transferrable voting system is being held in Aberdeen today.
The contest is being staged to find a third councillor for the Midstocket/Rosemount ward on the city council.
The seat was formerly held by Tory councillor John Porter who died in May just weeks after being elected.
The six candidates taking part are John Corall (SNP), Alan McIntosh (Lab), Steve Delaney (Lib Dem), Fraser Forsyth (Con), Dennis Grattan (Independent) Stephen Hadden (Solidarity).
The election will use the single transferrable voting system which involves voters numerically ranking candidates in order of preference. Once valid ballot papers are counted, the minimum number of votes a candidate needs to be elected is calculated. In this by-election, there is only one seat, so there will be no transfer of preference votes from candidates that have met the quota.
The polls open at 7am and close at 10pm.
The count, which will include postal votes, is taking place at the Summerhill Education Centre tomorrow and is expected to take several hours.
Votes are being counted by hand. Council leader Kate Dean said counting votes by hand was easier because there are not as many ballot papers involved.
Sitting councillors Bill Cormie, SNP and Labour's Jenny Laing do not have to stand in the by-election.
Polling stations opened today for a city council by-election.
Candidates for the Midstocket/Rosemount ward have been pounding the streets asking people to return to the ballot box for the first time since May.
People were able to vote from 7am today, and polling stations will close at 10pm.
The result will not be announced until tomorrow when the count takes place at Summerhill Education Centre.
The election was called after veteran councillor John Porter died not long after he was elected.
The candidates are John Corall (SNP); Steve Delaney (Liberal Democrat); Fraser Forsyth (Conservative); Dennis Grattan (Independent); Stephen Hadden (Solidarity) and Alan McIntosh (Labour).
The election will use the Single Transferable Vote, electors are asked to mark candidates by preference. People can vote for as many or as few candidates as they wish.
Once the total number of valid ballot papers has been counted, the minimum number of votes a candidate needs to be elected, or quota, is calculated.
But the count will be done manually, not using electronic counting equipment which was criticised in the May elections.
Electoral history is being made when voting takes place in Scotland's first council by-election under a proportional representation system.
Voters in Aberdeen were choosing a successor to veteran Tory councillor John Porter.
He was elected in May with two other councillors, one Labour and one SNP, to represent the city's Midstocket-Rosemount ward. But he died later that month, aged 77.
The contest is the first electoral test of public opinion since Labour lost power in Holyrood and a swathe of councils in May.
Under the new STV voting system launched in May, voters declare their preferences for candidates, ranking them in 1-2-3 order.
The same is being applied on Thursday night but unlike May, when this process produced three winning candidates, there will be only one victor. Conservatives face a tougher challenge in getting elected this time around.
In May, Mr Porter effectively won in the first round of counting, by achieving more than the minimum number of votes needed in the first round to ensure success.
This time, however, the minimum hurdle has been raised because there is only one vacancy - meaning a candidate would have to get at least half of the first-round votes to ensure success at that stage.
Unlike in May, the votes will be counted manually rather than by machine. And counting will be done on Friday morning, rather than a traditional count on polling night.
The result is unlikely to make any difference to the political control of the 43-seat Aberdeen city council where the Liberal Democrats and SNP rule in coalition with 27 seats between them.
Polling stations opened today for a city council by-election.
Candidates for the Midstocket/Rosemount ward have been pounding the streets asking people to return to the ballot box for the first time since May.
People were able to vote from 7am today, and polling stations will close at 10pm.
The result will not be announced until tomorrow when the count takes place at Summerhill Education Centre.
The election was called after veteran councillor John Porter died not long after he was elected.
The candidates are John Corall (SNP); Steve Delaney (Liberal Democrat); Fraser Forsyth (Conservative); Dennis Grattan (Independent); Stephen Hadden (Solidarity) and Alan McIntosh (Labour).
The election will use the Single Transferable Vote, electors are asked to mark candidates by preference. People can vote for as many or as few candidates as they wish.
Once the total number of valid ballot papers has been counted, the minimum number of votes a candidate needs to be elected, or quota, is calculated.
But the count will be done manually, not using electronic counting equipment which was criticised in the May elections.
Voters went to the polls in Aberdeen yesterday to select a successor to veteran Tory councillor John Porter on the city council.
A steady stream of people visited five polling stations throughout the day to cast their vote for a third person to represent the Midstocket-Rosemount ward.
The by-election, the first in Scotland since the council elections in May, was caused by the death of Mr Porter just weeks after he was elected.
The candidates were John Corall (SNP), Alan McIntosh (Lab), Steve Delaney (Lib Dem), Fraser Forsyth (Con), Dennis Grattan (Independent) and Stephen Hadden (Solidarity).
The election used the single transferable voting system, which involves voters numerically ranking candidates in order of preference.
Once valid ballot papers are counted, the minimum number of votes a candidate needs to be elected is calculated.
In this by-election, there is only one seat, so there will be no transfer of preference votes from candidates that have met the quota.
The count will take place at the Summerhill Education Centre today and the result is expected around noon.
There were widespread problems across Scotland in May because people did not understand how to fill out the voting forms for the local government and Holyrood elections, resulting in thousands of spoiled ballot papers.
However, people interviewed outside Mile-End Primary School yesterday said they found the process straightforward.
Retired civil servant Mary Black, of Richmondhill Gardens, said: "I found it really simple, You read the instructions and off you go.
"I am surprised if people don't understand but I suppose some find filling in all forms difficult."
Housewife Heather Paton, 24, of Westburn Road, said: "It was a lot easier than last time because there was not two bits of paper, so there was not a lot to think about."
r
Sharon Fyfe, 36, of Grove Crescent, had to hand-deliver her postal vote to the election staff because of the recent postal strike. She said: "I was told to because it was not going to arrive on time otherwise."
The count was underway today to find out who will become the latest councillor to be elected in Aberdeen.
Voters went to the polls in the Midstocket/ Rosemount by-election after the death of veteran Tory councillor John Porter, not long after May's election.
The by-election was the first in Scotland since the full elections earlier this year.
The election used the single transferable voting system, which involves voters numerically ranking candidates in order of preference. Counting started at about 9am.
John Corall was elected to Aberdeen City Council today, taking the vacant seat in the city's Midstocket/Rosemount ward for the Scottish National Party in a close-run by-election.
The poll was called after the sudden death of veteran Conservative Councillor John porter earlier this year. Councillor Corall joins fellow SNP member Bill Cormie and Labour's Jenny Laing in the three-seat ward.
Turnout in the poll, held yesterday [Thursday], was 28.9% on an electorate of 10,288. Following today's count, no candidate had reached the quota for election - but Cllr Corall was the last man standing after all others had been excluded.
Independent candidate Dennis Grattan fell after the count of first preference votes, followed by Solidarity's Stephen Hadden and Labour's Allan McIntosh after the transfer of ballots in the two subsequent rounds.
A close contest between the remaining three candidates eventually sawÊLiberal Democrat candidate Steve Delaney excluded and, after the redistribution of his ballots, John Caroll edged out Conservative hopeful Fraser Forsyth to take the seat.
The SNP has swept to victory in the first council by-election since the May elections in the Midstocket/Rosemount ward in Aberdeen.
North East MSP and Minister for Schools and Skills Maureen Watt MSP described the victory as "a tremendous success not only for our outstanding local candidate John Corall, but for the SNP in Government at both local and national level."
The Scottish National Party candidate, John Corall, has won the Midstocket and Rosemount by-election in Aberdeen.
The poll followed the death of popular veteran Conservative John Porter, who was 75.
The Conservatives came in second place, while the Lib Dems came third and Labour fourth.
It was Scotland's first local authority by-election since the switch to proportional representation. Friday's result followed Thursday's vote.
Following Mr Porter's death in May, Aberdeen City Council described him as an "immensely popular figure" who would be sorely missed.
Mr Porter was in his 29th year in local government.
The Scottish National Party has gained from Tories in the first by-election after the change to a proportional representation voting system north of the border.
The SNP's John Corall won at Aberdeen's Midstocket/Rosemount ward in the fifth round of counting by 1,258 to Tories' 1,122.
Labour was the only party to see its first preference vote share drop since May's polls. It fell 3.6% with the SNP up by 3.2%, Liberal Democrats by 1.3% and Tories by 0.1%.
SNP candidate John Corall yesterday won the first local council by-election in Scotland under the new single transferable voting system. He swept to victory in Aberdeen's Midstocket and Rosemount contest caused by the death of Tory Councillor John Porter.
Furious Liberal Democrats in Aberdeen last night claimed they were denied a "sensational" victory in Scotland's first by-election involving the single transferrable vote system.
Candidate Steve Delaney and his supporters are angry that senior deputy returning officer Crawford Langley refused to order a recount even though only four votes separated Mr Delaney and Conservative Fraser Forsyth at a crucial stage in the contest to elect a new councillor to the Midstocket-Rosemount ward.
The contest, eventually won by the SNP candidate, was held following the death of popular Conservative councillor John Porter.
The decision not to recount the first preference votes of all three front runners meant that Mr Delaney, who polled 869 votes to Mr Forsyth's 873, was knocked out at the fifth stage.
His votes were redistributed between Mr Forsyth and the SNP's John Corall who went on to win the seat by just 146 votes.
The Liberal Democrats are to raise a complaint with the Electoral Commission and the returning officer, Douglas Paterson, because they argue the totting up system was "unsound".
Lib Dem north-east MSP Alison McInnes, said: "Analysis of the ballot paper preferences showed that with four more votes our candidate would have overtaken the Conservatives and subsequently beaten the SNP candidate.
"The Liberal Democrats were four votes away from a sensational by-election gain."
Mr Delaney said he felt it was not an "unreasonable" request to call for a recount of stage-one votes at the fourth-stage position, given the narrow margin between him and Mr Forsyth.
"If even a couple of mistakes were made, like votes put in the wrong bundles at the start, it would have changed the outcome completely," he said.
Mr Delaney asked for a recount at an earlier stage but a second tally produced the same number of votes cast which he accepted.
The SNP secured 875 first preference votes, the Conservatives 821 and the Liberal Democrats 693.
Mr Langley said he was satisfied that there were "no grounds" for a recount at stage five.
"At every stage the candidates have had the opportunity to ask for a recount."
"I had been particularly careful to ask if they are satisfied with the result at each stage.
"All the candidates up to stage four said they were satisfied. If they come to a late stage and the results are not going their way they cannot go back on the satisfaction they have expressed previously."
A spokesman for the Liberal Democrats said the party was not mounting a legal challenge against the final election result.
Mr Corall, 61, a former teacher, who lives in Rosemount, said he was very "honoured and privileged" to have been elected and promised to work very hard on behalf of citizens.
He will represent the ward alongside party colleague Bill Cormie and Labour's Jenny Laing.
A Former leading city councillor has defected to the SNP after becoming "disillusioned" with the Labour party.
Allan McIntosh, former councillor for Aberdeen's Ferryhill ward, resigned over concerns about the party both locally and nationally.
The 58-year-old, who runs a city plumbing firm, stood for Labour in the Midstocket and Rosemount by-election last August.
He had been a party supporter all his life, serving as vice-convener of the environment and infrastructure committee while a councillor between 1999 and 2003 but switched allegiance to their political rivals on St Andrew's Day last November.
Mr McIntosh, pictured, said: "I have been very disillusioned with the Labour Party. I wasn't very happy with what was going on."
He said he thought the Labour group on the city council had lost direction. The treatment of former councillor David Clyne, who resigned from the party in 2006 after falling out with Labour leaders, was a "big influence" on his decision, he said.
He said: "Nothing has changed, I'm still the same person.
"It is just that my outlook has changed. The SNP seems to be doing something for Scotland going forward."
He said it was the SNP's decision whether he would stand for the council again.
Councillor Willie Young, secretary of the Labour group on the city council, criticised the decision but wished him "all the best".
SNP group leader Kevin Stewart was "delighted" with Mr McIntosh's conversion.
He said: "The SNP are on the up in this city and Labour are very much on their way down."
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