WHAT do councillors want from Limerick’s new directly-elected Mayor? Because it’s getting harder to fathom what exactly the issue is that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have with our first citizen.
There’s been some ugly days in County Hall since the June 7 election, but the recent meeting to discuss the draft mayoral plan really took the scone.
It felt more like bearing witness to feeding time at a crèche than a discussion of strategic policy.
When councillors weren’t complaining about graphs, it was moaning about not being allowed wear the mayoral chain at functions or not being treated with respect.
While our local councillors are a long way from falling before Mayor Moran’s feet – well, some of them anyway – all bets seem to be off when it comes to showing even common decency to the powers that be.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good spat in County Hall, it’s my bread and butter. But the problem now is that I’m not sure why they are rowing. I’m not even sure they are.
Repeatedly during the recent pow-wow, the message was sent loud and clear from the Fine Gael bench that they had been doing the DEM’s job long before he was a twinkle in Michael Noonan’s eye.
“You might think because you came on board this year that meeting with deputies and ministers is a new thing. It’s not. I am meeting with ministers of all ages for 20 years regarding what’s going on in the local authority,” Cllr Liam Galvin told Mayor Moran.
Cllr Adam Teskey (FG), who dug deep to channel his inner Kevin Sheahan, made it clear that he was going to have his say even if it meant he wouldn’t get to wear the chains of office at the next rave up in Rathkeale.
Like something out of the League of Gentlemen, the Adare-Rathkeale representative made it very clear that he would focus all his energies on being a local councillor serving the needs of the local people in a local way.
Fellow Fine Gael man Stephen Keary came right out said he was sick to the back teeth of the mayoral programme, which he declared as the Mayor’s “solo run”.
Fine Gael clearly have no intention of working with Mayor Moran, despite him topping the poll with 28,451 votes, so it’s two fingers to the public who voted for him.
And the Blueshirts’ bedfellows, Fianna Fáil, also had their panties in a bunch at last week’s hoedown, with Cllr Michael Collins declaring he was “flabbergasted” by Moran’s carry on and accusing the Mayor of making his work “political” – which feels like a politician’s way of saying ‘don’t be making us look bad’.
“I think you’re in the wrong office. I think you should run in the next general election and work your way up and try and make the changes there,” Cllr Collins fumed, before storming out of the chamber.
Respect they want, but they have yet to show scant sign of it to our historic first directly-elected Mayor and those who voted for a new way of doing business in Limerick.
Out with the petty squabbling and in with all things ambitious and bold, that’s the call they choose to ignore.
