EARLY indicators at Merchant’s Quay strongly indicate that Limerick got the right man for Directly Elected Mayor in John Moran.
At the first meeting of the Metropolitan District last Friday (June 28), Limerick’s new first citizen was chomping at the bit to get started in his historic new role.
Not only were council staff already hard at it cleaning up around City Hall, which he asked for as a priority for the tourist season, but he had Taoiseach Simon Harris pencilled in for a meeting this Wednesday (July 3).
The former Finance Department General Secretary also invited council members to engage with his comprehensive draft mayoral programme, which he said is going to be one of the most important documents for Limerick, second only to the Development Plan.
“I want to use that document to actually try and reach a level of ambition that’s commensurate with what some of the other national agencies are recommending for Limerick, particularly the Housing Commission,” he told council members.
“The statute by which the mayor was appointed provides that I should deliver a version of that at one of the full meetings,” he said.
However, Mayor Moran revealed that he wants to do things very differently and involve people much more early on in the process.
“You will probably be familiar with the documents that I had used during the course of the election, which got a strong mandate from the people of Limerick. I’d like people to start the process much sooner than a couple of months from now, and for each grouping to actually identify the priorities that they see. I can’t pretend to a monopoly on everything that should or should not be done,” he admitted.
During his election campaign, Mayor Moran said that he intends to ask the Limerick Mayoral Advisory and Implementation Committee to establish at least three implementation sub-committees to focus on the delivery of a more liveable Limerick with more affordable housing and better quality of life; a more prosperous Limerick with more jobs for graduates and others; and a more healthy Limerick with wellbeing at its core.
He wasted no time at the Metropolitan District’s AGM this week to get things moving and told councillors that it was his hope to have first feedback from officials and local representatives by next week’s full local authority meeting.
That way, he explained, he can reflect on what he has heard as well as giving the underlying principles that he believes should form part of mayoral programme.
People can contact the Mayor directly to express their views on his plans at [email protected].
Fianna Fáil councillor Kieran O’Hanlon, who was elected Cathaoirleach at the Metropolitan AGM, vowed to work closely with Mayor Moran.
“You are putting us under pressure already during our holiday time and during our work schedule, but I’m sure we’d all be delighted to work with you and give you our full cooperation that you deserve as mayor,” he said.
