Councillor Jim O’Leary elected Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council

Councillor Jim O’Leary was elected Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council at the Council’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Friday.

Councillor O’Leary was first elected to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in 2004.

Coincidentally, Jim O’Leary’s grandfather, James Reidy T.D. was elected Lord Mayor of Limerick exactly 80 years ago this month.

Councillor O’Leary has enjoyed a long and distinguished career with AIB, where he held various roles including Head of Group Financial Risk.

Following his election to the role of Cathaoirleach, Councillor O’Leary outlined his main priorities for the year, which include guiding the work of the next Corporate Plan, progressing housing delivery, continuing the work on the Friendship Agreement with Palo Alto (California) and overseeing projects such as the Ballinteer Community Centre and objectives in the Dundrum Local Area Plan.

In a statement, Councillor O’Leary said, “I will continue to ensure that housing delivery remains a priority and I will be focusing on the Dundrum Local Area Plan objectives and the Ballinteer Community Centre.

“We also have a €1billion capital budget, and I am committed to ensuring consistent progress and updates on key projects across the County.”

At the Council AGM, Councillor Kazi Ahmed was elected as Leas Chathaoirleach. Councillor Ahmed (FG) was elected in the Glencullen-Sandyford Local Electoral Area in 2019 as first time Councillor.

He is an alumnus of five universities in Ireland – TCD, UCD, GCD, DCU and TU and has worked across the corporate, charity and public sectors. Councillor Ahmed became an Irish Citizen in 2012 and has lived in Ireland for more then 22 years.