Time for Cllrs to stop being so parochial and just fight!

THERE were some new and some not so new faces at the recent annual meeting of the Bandon Kinsale Municipal District, with one councillor calling for all of them to fight for this extended municipal district.

Cllr Gillian Coughlan (FF) said that as councillors they will really have to ‘stop being so parochial’ and that they are going to have to fight for the entire Municipal District.

‘It really necessitates in many cases a back-to-basics approach like roads, dykes and bridges. They were our original functions as a local authority, and I would like to see more of that,’ said Cllr Coughlan.

Before statutory business got underway at the meeting, Cllr Alan Coleman (Ind) was elected chairperson after being nominated by Cllr Gillian Coughlan (FF) and seconded by Cllr Kevin Murphy (FG).

Cllr Murphy was himself elected vice-chairperson after being nominated by his colleague –  and newcomer to the Municipal District – Cllr John O’Sullivan and this was seconded by another newcomer Cllr Marie O’Sullivan (FG).

Another new councillor, Sean O’Donovan (FF) had proposed Cllr Coughlan for the vice-chairperson role but she conceded to Cllr Murphy for the role and said that the pair would make a ‘formidable duo’ despite being in different political parties.

This was the first meeting since the local elections in May and following the boundary changes to the Municipal District, Courtmacsherry-based councillor John O’Sullivan was attending his first meeting as a councillor in this municipal district.

This was also the first meeting without former councillors Rachel McCarthy (SF) and James O’Donovan (FG) who both decided not to run for a seat this time around. 

It was the first Municipal District meeting for newly-elected councillors Marie O’Sullivan and Sean O’Donovan.

Newly appointed director of services of municipal districts operations & rural development, Niall Healy, also addressed councillors at the meeting. He  has taken over from former director Mary Ryan and he said he was looking forward to working with all the councillors.

Cllr Murphy thanked Mary Ryan for all her service to the Municipal District during her tenure. He also called on the profits from car parking to be given back to Kinsale and Bandon.