Labour County Councillor, Paddy O’Callaghan of Tramore, was elected Mayor of County Waterford in Dungarvan on Monday afternoon. He is pictured after his election with his wife, Colette, and daughters, Sueann Sheridan and Heidi Hayes. | Photo Sean Byrne/Deise Media
Fine Gael and Labour, with a total of 15 votes, ensured the rotation of the officer of First Citizen between the parties. Councillor Ger Barron (Lab) of Kilmacthomas was elected Deputy Mayor unopposed.
Fianna Fail proposed Councillor Pat Daly as a candidate for the office of County Mayor but Councillor O’Callaghan was elected by 15 cotes to five.
The new Mayor was proposed by Councillor Billy Kyne (Lab) and seconded by Councillor John Carey (FG). Mayor O’Callaghan said one of his top priorities for the coming year included progressing and developing the Grouped Villages Sewerage Scheme. He highlighted the importance of good water and waste water infrastructure if the county was to attract inward investment and encourage job creation.
Investment and development
The importance of investment and the development of the new Waterford Knowledge Campus was also highlighted by Mayor O’Callaghan who said that research and development were the key drivers of job creation. Waterford’s niche tourism attractions such as the Sean Kelly Tour, Immrama, Waterford Festival of Food and the John Treacy Classic were vital to the local economy, he said.
See The Munster Express newspaper for full story or subscribe to our PDF version.
