Buckley Byrne tipped to become next Mayor

Athlone will have a new Mayor on Monday next, when Mark Cooney's one-year tenure comes to an end. The current Deputy Mayor, Independent councillor Sheila Buckley Byrne, has confirmed that her name will be put forward for the Mayoral election at the town council's annual general meeting. If last year's voting alliance between herself, Labour's Jim Henson and the three Fine Gael representatives is repeated then she will be elected to the role. Fine Gael's Cllr Alan Shaw said he expected that his name would be put forward for the position of Deputy Mayor. Speaking to the Westmeath Independent yesterday (Tuesday), Cllr Buckley Byrne was hopeful that she will be presented with the Mayoral chain next week. "I'm hopeful but, by nature, I'm cautious as well," she said. "As we know, a week is a long time, so I'll wait and see what happens. But my name will be put forward and I'm hopeful that I will receive support from all sides." While female Mayors or Chairpersons of the council in Athlone are uncommon, Cllr Buckley Byrne would not be the first woman to undertake this role. It's understood that Deputy Mary O'Rourke served as Chairperson of the then-Urban District Council for two non-consecutive terms during the 1980s. Cllr Buckley Byrne said Mayor Cooney had brought great personal and professional attributes to the role. "(Cllr Cooney) has raised the bar very high and has clearly laid out what's expected of me if I am successful," she said. Labour's Cllr Jim Henson didn't wish to comment publicly on the vote ahead of the meeting. He said no meetings had been held between himself, the Fine Gael members and Cllr Buckley Byrne since the voting alliance was formed last year. Cllr Henson was not aware if the group was planning any meetings before next Monday but said it was "early days yet." When asked if they would be supporting Cllr Buckley Byrne, Fine Gael councillors Alan Shaw and Gabrielle McFadden both said they would, while the current Mayor gave a diplomatic answer. "I hope to support a candidate that will be acceptable to a majority in the council and I will give that person any help and assistance that I can," he stated. Reflecting on his tenure, Cllr Cooney said "It was an honour to serve as Mayor. Having waited a number of years for it, I found it to be a very pleasant and enjoyable experience." He said: "There are always highs and lows over the course of a year" and he singled out the flooding in November and the announcement in May that Loughloe House was to close as two particularly low points. He added that both of these issues were unresolved, as the council was hoping to put flood defence measures in place in the town and the "battle" was continuing to save Loughloe House. The highlights of Cllr Cooney's year as Mayor included attending functions, welcoming visiting groups to Athlone and gearing up for the triAthlone and Festival of Europe "which will be great for the town." He pointed out that the council welcomed "the highest intake of new members in years" after last year's local elections. "You always wonder how the new group will gel, but they have all worked well together.