WE are doomed, I tell you! Well, no matter the outcome of the election of Limerick’s Directly Elected Mayor (DEM) next June, we are certainly doomed to make choices.
As a wise man once said, that is life’s greatest paradox.
Sinn Féin are certainly of the view that legislation for the DEM falls significantly short of what Government promised at the time of the plebiscite in May 2019, even going as far as saying last week that it is ultimately “doomed to fail”.
Following the publication of the Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) Bill 2023, the party hit out that people may have been “sold a pup”, both when they were polled on this issue back in 2019 and in comments from Government members since.
“Much of the noise following the plebiscite in 2019 was that we would see a significant number of powers removed from central government and allocated to the new mayor, but none of this is evident in the legislation that was published recently,” Limerick Sinn Féin Deputy Maurice Quinlivan declared.
As it stands, he added, the Bill only gives Limerick’s Directly Elected Mayor “soft power” — some that the present CEO and local councillors already possess.
“Most of which will not go far in enhancing participative local democracy in Limerick, leaving us with a broadly ceremonial role with very little autonomy or authority. This is both a disappointment and a missed opportunity.”
So is there a little blue pill to help Limerick’s DEM go hard?
Sinn Féin Senator Paul Gavan doesn’t think so. He reckons it will be an absolute let down — a real boneless chicken altogether.
Not at all enamoured, Senator Gavan considers the Bill as a “fudge” on the part of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, and insists it hasn’t lived up to expectations.
And on top of all that, our newly elected Mayor will also have to deal with performance anxiety, he predicts.
“How the Mayor operates in Limerick will be watched closely by other Local Authorities given it is the first of its kind, and I feel that instead of reforming local democracy in a way that gives local community a sense of ownership over their own affairs, the Government have opted for a model that will make anyone who was cynical about the need for a Mayor feel validated in their scepticism.”
Gavan sees this Bill as a lost opportunity to give power back to local structures that have seen their powers stripped back incrementally since the 2014 reforms.
“I believe this is an opportunity missed, largely due to a lack of both courage and ambition on the part of Government. I really hope that the Minister is open to the amendments that we will be bringing forward in the Dáil and the Seanad.
“Given this Mayor will set the precedent for all others going forward, it is important that we get this legislation right, and not set out on a path where it is doomed to fail.”
As our Limerick hurlers will tell you — you either go hard or go home.
But still, Sinn Féin are predicting a rather lacklustre affair. You know yourself, more a shameful display at half-mast than a proud swish of the DEM’s full glory.
Cllr Sharon Benson considers it unfortunate that the mayoral election has been scheduled to coincide with the Local and European elections given it has been on the political agenda for over five years now.
“The role of the Mayor and the resources that will be made available for the new office need to be defined clearly. Our party will seek to amend this legislation as it goes through the Oireachtas with a view to enhancing local democracy as requested by the people of Limerick, and having a Bill that is reflective of what the people of Limerick were led to believe they were voting for back in 2019,” Cllr Benson explained.
Somehow all that bellyaching didn’t stop the party confirming to the Limerick Post that they’ll be standing a candidate nonetheless though.
Hopefully, no matter the choices are made by the electorate when the time comes, it won’t see our directly elected mayor a total flop. I have no doubt whoever is in the hot-seat will rise to the occasion.
