IN A first in the history of the State the new Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council will have an equal 50:50 gender balance.
Following the Local Elections on May 24 and with tens of thousands of votes cast by the people of the area, the new council of Elected Members voted in for the next five-year term convened last week for its inaugural Annual General Meeting at County Hall in Dún Laoghaire.
The new council is comprised of 40 members, 15 of whom are first time councillors, with a 50:50 gender ratio, which is a first for a local authority in the history of the state.
Cllr Shay Brennan, a representative of the Fianna Fail party was elected by councillors to take the role of An Cathaoirleach for the first year of the council’s five-year term.
Cllr Brennan has represented the Dundrum electoral area as a Councillor since 2014.
Cllr Deirdre Donnelly was elected as Leas Cathaoirleach for the first year of the term. Cllr Donnelly, an Independent, was elected in the Stillorgan Electoral Area.
The council is comprised of 13 Fine Gael representatives, seven Fianna Fail representatives, six Green Party representatives, six Labour Party representatives, two Solidarity/People Before Profit representatives, five independents and one Social Democrat.
The councillors will now be expected to play a crucially important role in the Local Authority, striking annual budgets, formulating and agreeing policy and service priorities and working with the Chief Executive, Philomena Poole and her staff to deliver on hundreds of different services to residents and businesses in the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown area.
Meanwhile, at the Annual Meeting of South Dublin County Council in County Hall, Tallaght, Cllr Vicki Casserly (FG) representing the Lucan electoral area was elected Mayor of South Dublin County.
Tributes were paid to the outgoing Mayor, Cllr Mark Ward (SF) and Deputy Mayor, Cllr Cathal King (SF), who thanked their fellow councillors, the Chief Executive, Daniel McLoughlin and the management and staff of the council for their help and support during their term in office.
Cllr Casserly was proposed for Mayor by Cllr Emer Higgins (FG) and was seconded by Councillor Ed O’ Brien (FF).
Following a roll call vote Cllr Casserly was deemed elected to the Office of Mayor.
Mayor Casserly in her acceptance speech said: "I am honoured and humbled to be elected Mayor of our great county today. As a local resident, a local mum, a local wife, a local sister, a local daughter and a local carer, my roots go deep in our community.”
Cllr Trevor Gilligan (FF) representing the Clondalkin Electoral Area was elected Deputy Mayor
And at Dublin City Council’s annual meeting, Cllr Paul McAuliffe was elected the 350th Lord Mayor of Dublin. This was the first meeting of the newly elected council following the local elections in May.
