NEWLY-elected Príomh Chomhairleoir of Limerick City and County Council Cllr Catherine Slattery (FF) believes it is time everyone in the local authority started working together.
Speaking to the Limerick Post after last week’s Council AGM, where she became only the second person to hold the title of ‘chief councillor’, Cllr Slattery called for Mayor John Moran, the Council executive, and councillors to pull together for the people of Limerick.
Before the chains of office were handed over to the City East representative, outgoing Príomh Chomhairleoir, Cllr Dan McSweeney (FG), had some strong words for Council management.
He deemed the local authority’s handling of the proposed gift of the International Rugby Experience from JP McManus to the people of Limerick as deeply upsetting and concerning, describing it as one of his “darkest days” as a councillor.
Cllr McSweeney hit out that the “disrespectful” treatment of the McManus family was nothing short of incredulous and exposed serious “dysfunction” within the Council, underlining an urgent need for review.
Asked if she agreed with these sentiments, Cllr Slattery said: “I applaud Cllr McSweeney for speaking out. I agree with everything that he said and I hope things change, and change very soon so we can start to pick up the pieces.”
“I wish the Mayor, the executive, and the councillors could all work together — all three sides, all working together.
“We’ve worked with the executive in harmony most of the time since I’ve been a councillor and I have nothing but praise for them — they’re very helpful, if they can do something for you, they will.”
Cllr Slattery says she often feels a “sickness in her stomach” because of the “dysfunction” she has witnessed at local authority level as an elected representative. She now wants to see a more united front as they go into the second year of their five-year term.
“I’m watching it happen and I don’t know like what I am seeing. Basically we all need to sit down and take everyone’s views on board. Everyone isn’t going to agree with each other – that’s not the way politics work – but we need to come up with a solution that will work for everybody, that’ll work for the Mayor, that’ll work for councillors, that work for the executive.”
The new Príomh Chomhairleoir concluded that “we all will have a job to do. Councillors have a job to do and the Mayor has a job. But I think it would be fantastic if all three work together.”
“This isn’t about singling anyone out. It’s not about the Mayor. It’s not about the executive. It’s about the people in Limerick. That’s why we’ve all been put into the positions we’re in. This is about the people in Limerick and getting stuff done for them, not singling anyone out. We need to work together to get the work done for the people in Limerick.”
