NEWLY elected Mayor of Limerick, Cllr Michael Sheahan wants to see the iconic Brown Thomas department store relocated and replaced with a fountain to open up “the heart of the city”.
This was among his suggestions following his elevation to first citizen at County Hall last Friday. The Fine Gael politician advocated for moving Brown Thomas from O’Connell Street and putting a fountain in its place.
“Why not, as previously suggested, demolish Sarsfield House, but also relocate Brown Thomas and take that too, opening up the very heart of the city and installing another fountain here, ever changing in its rhythm and lighting, responding to music and symphony, Limerick’s other core strengths,” Mayor Sheahan suggested.
He went onto suggest in the packed council chamber in Dooradoyle that fountains should also be used at the main approaches into the city.
He was proposed as Mayor of Limerick by party colleague John Sheahan and seconded by Fianna Fáil’s Michael Collins. Family and friends of Cllr Sheahan gathered in expectation ahead of the election, including his three-month old grandchild, Courtney.
The City East representative was elected by a 30 to 10 majority to become the sixth person to be elected as Mayor of the City and County of Limerick since the amalgamation of the two Limerick local authorities in 2014.
First-time Green Party councillor Brian Leddin was also proposed for the position of Mayor by his party colleague Sean Hartigan and seconded by Labour’s Joe Leddin.
One of the main issues Mayor Sheahan want to prioritise, he revealed in his victory speech, is the environment.
“Limerick faces major environmental changes in the next few years and I want to work with all those groups and individuals who want to make a positive impact on Limerick,” he said.
The new mayor also thanked the McManus family for their great work and ongoing support of community groups and organisations across Limerick.
Outgoing Mayor, Cllr James Collins was thanked for his year as first citizen of Limerick, with tributes being paid across party lines for his contribution to Limerick and the championing of various issues over the past 12 months.
Fine Gael councillor Adam Teskey was elected Deputy Mayor beating Sinn Féin’s councillor John Costelloe by 32 votes to eight.
