In reply to:

In terms of pronunciation without a spelling change, UK, Australian, NZ & South African English inevitably uses "m-air" whereas US (& Canadian??) English uses the OE "may-or" for the word mayor.

Interesting. My Dad, educated at an Anglo-Indian public school in the dying days of the Raj, also uses "may-or" consistently - it's one of the few traces of his oroignal accent left after 52 years away from the land of his birth.