LIMERICK City and County Council (LCCC) was reminded this week of the important role played by councillors within local government.
This prompt came at Monday’s Metropolitan District meeting at County Hall from Príomh-Chomhairleoir of LCCC, Cllr Dan McSweeney (FG).
During a debate around the former tourist office at Arthur’s Quay, Council members called for the local authority to clean up the site. In response, Director of the Metropolitan District, Kieran Lehane, said that he would see if he “could find a few bob somewhere” to carry out the works.
“You could ask the Mayor for some money?” Metropolitan Cathaoirleach Cllr Kieran O’Hanlon suggested.
Cllr McSweeney was in agreement with this suggestion, unable to see why a budget was required for the job.
“Maybe we should contact the Mayor? And may I just take this opportunity to remind you also, Director, that councillors jobs are important as well,” Cllr McSweeney told Kieran Lehane.
“The community or the city centre response team shouldn’t be focusing all the time on the mayor’s tasks. There is some jobs to be done for the councillors as well.”
The City West representative urged the Council executive to inform the community response team that councillors have a number of pending requests, before hitting out that it can’t all be all one-way traffic with Mayor Moran’s “pet projects”.
“Money shouldn’t be an issue either. We were well able to go up and waste money on the Crescent over the summer,” Cllr McSweeney added.
“It will be interesting to see how much was spent on the Crescent when that figure is finalised.”
Mayor Moran was not present at this week’s district meeting, but councillors had plenty to say about the first citizen in his absence.
Cllr Kieran O’Hanlon spoke about plans to meet with Mayor Moran to further discuss his draft mayoral plan.
“We had a full meeting to discuss the Mayor’s program and I just want to say, from my own point of view, that I tried in every way to facilitate meetings where possible to actually progress that report,” Cllr O’Hanlon said, adding that he was “a little bit disappointed with some of the publicity from the Mayor’s office about the Metropolitan District.”
Noting that it’s “incumbent on us all to cooperate and try and get the best for Limerick”, Cllr O’Hanlon said he “was disappointed as I seemed to be targeted as Cathaoirleach” in negative sentiment around engagement with the Mayor’s plan.
Councillors were informed that the previously disbanded meeting on the draft mayoral plan will reconvene next Friday.
Cllr O’Hanlon was of the opinion that the meeting should proceed, but noted: “I don’t like having meetings on Fridays, but if possible, we should finalise our input into that and get over all the disputes and arguments and get on with business.”
“I don’t want people foul-mouthing me on radio and in the newspapers saying I’m not doing my job’.”
