ASKEATON councillor Kevin Sheahan was elected the first Cathaoirleach of Limerick City and County Council, at last Friday’s historic meeting of the amalgamated local authorities at the University Concert Hall.
The Fianna Fáil councillor took the chairmanship of the newly merged Council when he secured the backing of 27 of the 40 newly elected council members.
After what was a rocky week for the local Fianna Fáil group, Cllr Sheahan not only secured all the votes from his own party but all of Fine Gael’s too, as well as independent councillors Bridget Teefy and Emmett O’Brien.
Sinn Fein councillor Maurice Quinlivan got 10 votes with the support of his own party, Labour and independent Cllr John Gilligan, while Cllr Paul Keller secured the three Anti Austerity Alliance votes.
The new Cathaoirleach, who has been a councillor for 28 years and battled six elections, was in typical good spirits. Taking to the podium he boldly remarked, “We are of the old school and I am the school teacher,” just to win a bet with his son.
He admitted that he always had a habit of “jumping the gun” and remembered that he first mooted the idea of a joint local authority 18 years ago.
The magnitude of the new Council’s first meeting wasn’t lost on the Fianna Fáil councillor, who pointed out that it was also the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, a day that saw a world adrift restored to the “way things should be”.
June 6, also marked a significant event in Kevin’s own life — his wedding anniversary. A romantic at heart, he surprised his wife Caroline with a bouquet of flowers on the concert hall stage.
A pact between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael secured Cllr Sheahan the position of Cathaoirleach with Fine Gael now set to take the mayoral posting in the city’s new Metropolitan District next Monday, June 16.
Quick-witted, Independent councillor John Gilligan said he had often agreed with Cllr. Sheahan’s “forthright” views down the years, but admitted that he “never knew he was so popular with Fine Gael”.
Cllr Sheahan went on to thank the electorate who had placed their trust in him and promised to do his best to serve them. He also insisted that while the political parties on the Council all have different policies, their objectives, he believes, were the same.
“We are a conduit, a listening device, an instrument of the people. We need to create jobs, get people into houses and make sure they have a bite to eat,” he said.
Newly elected Fianna Fáil councillor Joe Crowley was elected Leas Cathaoirleach after securing 27 of 40 votes. Sinn Fein’s Seamus Browne got 10 votes and the Anti Austerity Alliance’s John Loftus, three.
