Naughten must stay to fight for South Roscommon
Naughten must stay to fight for South Roscommon
It's likely the people of South Roscommon will be greatly concerned at the suggestion by Deputy Denis Naughten that he may turn his back on politics.
Naughten has been in the eye of a very public storm over recent weeks.
The pressure is all the greater when one considers that he was a hot tip for a Cabinet seat last year, before a failed attempt to unseat Enda Kenny as leader of the party left him on the margins.
And given the events of the last few days and the deep sense of political and personal disappointment he must feel having cut his ties with his party, it's understandable Denis Naughten would be contemplating his political future.
But there are many both inside and outside Fine Gael who would steadfastly hope that he would continue to lobby for the interests and rights of the people of South Roscommon and the wider Roscommon/South Leitrim constituency.
As a Drum native, Naughten has always shown an interest in what happens in Athlone, despite the fact the town is, for the most part, in a separate constituency.
With the likes of Monksland continuing to grow, there is a crying need for a TD.
And whilst it would be more beneficial if there was a Government deputy who could fight for the area within the corridors of power, we are confident the voters of that area would prefer to have representation than none at all.
Town Clerk uncertainty needs to be clarified
There is still no certainty over whether Athlone's soon-to-be vacant Town Clerk post will be filled.
Long-serving Mayo native John Walsh announced his retirement recently and will step down in the next few weeks.
But there remains confusion over the future of the post.
This week, Westmeath County Manager Danny McLoughlin refused to comment on the issue when contacted by this newspaper.
Previously, in reply to a motion from Cllr Aengus O'Rourke, the county council had stated that the position of town clerk would be retained.
But the failure to publicly confirm the new arrangement can only cast uncertainty over the post.
As we have stated before the role of town clerk in Athlone has historically been an important post. Athlone Town Council has in recent years been a strong town council, thanks to the support and backing of Westmeath County Council.
It's vital that a strong, vibrant local authority structure continues to support and develop the further growth of Athlone.
A town clerk is a pivotal part of this structure - and it's time the situation was clarified. The people of the town deserve to know what is happening.
Chamber initiatives are timely and welcome
Athlone Chamber of Commerce has this week welcomed the population growth for Athlone revealed in the preliminary census figures last week.
But the chamber has also issued a timely call for all those within the local community who have ideas and initiatives to tackle the ongoing problems and difficulties in the town to come forward.
Athlone is suffering from a real bodyblow to consumer confidence, with retail vacancy levels on the rise.
There's a need for concerted action to tackle the issue and it's also encouraging to see the chamber is bringing together affected traders to hammer out an agreed approach to the rising number of empty retail and commercial properties in our town centre.
As the chamber pointed out there is also significant potential for tourism growth in the town.
