AMERICA DOESN'T DECIDE: ALL SPINNED OUT; Steve's odyssey from valleys politics to the US presidential race.

Byline: NICK SERVINI

THE town hall politics of a Welsh valley is a long way from the astonishing campaign for the White House.

But for the man masterminding Al Gore's bid to be president, the link is still strong.

Spin doctor Steve Morgan has come a long way from his days battling on Maesteg Urban District Council.

Drama in the tiny chamber may never have matched current events in America, but he will have nothing said against it.

As chaos and confusion surrounded him at Gore's Nashville headquarters he still found time to talk about his early days.

He said: "Maesteg seems a long way from here, but the experiences it gave me have helped me get to where I am now. It was a great learning ground.

"When I look out of the window now the whole of the world's media is there. It's unbelievable. I'm still really proud of it."

Steve, 47, used his experiences on the council to forge a career as one of Britain's top political consultants.

His reputation travelled so far before him that he was hand-picked to help Gore's bid to become the world's most powerful man.

The Gore camp wanted his political skills on board to handle the world's media in what is proving to be an historic battle.

His face has since appeared on TV screens all over the world.

And it has proved to be the experience of a lifetime in the tightest race the United States has ever seen.

On Wednesday morning he told the nation Gore had admitted defeat after the vote in Florida appeared to have gone against him.

But moments later the world watched in amazement as he was forced to withdraw his concession and resume the nail-biting wait for a result that everyone can agree on.

He admitted: "I have never seen anything like this in my life.

"This was the most tense, exciting, bizarre and nerve-racking night I have ever experienced. You just could not make it up."

Morgan is the managing director of the top public affairs company Morgan, Allen, Moore, which has an office in Cardiff.

He spends much of his time commuting between London, Washington and Brussels.

A member of Gore's inner cabinet spotted Morgan's political acumen and called him one day, completely out of the blue.

He said: "I could not believe it when I realised who was on the phone.

"To play a role in the election of the most powerful man in the world is something I have always dreamed about.

"I first met Al Gore at a reception at Downing Street last spring and found him extremely impressive, in particular his understanding of international issues and the need to protect the environment "

It's been a long road for Steve who was born into a fiercely proud Labour family in Maesteg, near Bridgend.

His father Tudor remembers how getting into local politics kept him on the right track.

In the early 1980s he became a councillor on what was then Maesteg Urban District Council.

HIS valley voters now know the councillor who once advised them is doing the same for the man now in the White House dogfight.

Tudor said: "I thought he might have gone off the rails when he was younger, but he got involved in local politics and started causing problems for the council instead."

Veteran Maesteg councillor Bill Evans added: "Steve was known to be a bit of a militant in his time.

"He was the sort of bloke who wasn't afraid to speak his mind."

Steve, who has had a string of jobs in PR and political fundraising, was hugely influenced by the politics of his grandfather.

Tudor added: "His grandfather was a great bloke and Steve followed him. He is a socialist through and through."

CAPTION(S):

ON THE UP: Steve, formerly a Maesteg councillor, is playing a key role in the push for the presidency of Al Gore, right; YOUNG INNOCENT: Steve, aged 2; PROUD: Tudor and mum Margaret; FIREBRAND: Steve, aged 30