Cllr Mark Cooney elected as new Mayor of Athlone

Fine Gael"s Cllr Mark Cooney, who has been a member of Athlone Town Council since 1994, was elected as the town"s Mayor for the first time on Monday. Independent newcomer Sheila Buckley-Byrne, a former member of Fianna Fáil, was chosen as the Deputy Mayor after being nominated by Fine Gael"s Gabrielle McFadden and Labour"s Jim Henson. At the first meeting of a Council which included five new faces, Cllr Cooney was proposed for the position of Mayor by Cllr Jim Henson, and this was seconded by Fine Gael"s Alan Shaw. After he was officially declared the new Mayor of Athlone, the three Fianna Fáil councillors approached Cllr Cooney and shook his hand. Cllr Cooney thanked all of the members and acknowledged the fact that his election was unanimous, stating that he appreciated Cllr Molloy"s words. 'It"s an honour and a privilege to serve as Mayor of Athlone. I"ve had a fairly long apprenticeship, having been on the Council for 15 years, so hopefully I"ve picked up a few things along the way. 'The previous Mayors of Athlone have, without exception, done the job well and represented the town at a high level, and I intend to continue that.' Mayor Cooney added that he intended to chair the Council"s meetings 'in an orderly, fair and efficient manner.' He praised the work done by Town Clerk John Walsh who, he said, 'knows local government inside out and upside down.' Mayor Cooney stated that 'while the Town Clerk indicated that he might not be here for the duration of this Council term,' he looked forward to working with him on projects such as the new art gallery at the Fr Mathew Hall and the redevelopment of Athlone Castle. The new Mayor paid tribute to all of the councillors who recently departed from the local authority, stating that while some had been members for a longer time than others, all had done 'a huge amount of work.' He concluded: 'We"ll have a challenging year ahead financially, but I"ve no doubt that if we work with the executive we can continue to improve the town.' Cllr Paul Hogan congratulated Cllr Cooney and wished him well, stating that his election as Mayor was 'a momentous occasion for yourself and your family.' Cllr Kieran Molloy said he had worked closely with Cllr Cooney over the years and had found him to be 'totally co-operative and understanding.' 'You"ve always supported anything that"s good for the town and no doubt you will continue to do so,' Cllr Molloy told him, adding that he would receive the co-operation of the Fianna Fáil members. At the conclusion of the meeting Cllr Kevin "Boxer" Moran said 'with the election of a Mayor there"s always a sting in the tail,' and he proceeded to seek an apology from Cllr Cooney for a newspaper advertisement placed by Fine Gael shortly before the local elections. The advertisement referred to Fianna Fáil representatives in unflattering terms and urged the public to vote them out of office, he said. Cllr Moran stated that he hadn"t raised the issue during the campaign but that he and others 'took great offence' to the advert. 'I thought that it was offensive and I couldn"t let this day pass without saying it to you and seeking an apology from you,' said "Boxer". The Mayor replied: 'I hear what you have to say. I"m not sure this is the appropriate forum for raising this issue, but your comments are noted.' Mayor Cooney then referred to a different 'sting in the tail', namely the new Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey, which declared Athlone a litter blackspot. He requested that this be included on the agenda for discussion at the July monthly meeting of the Town Council. The election of the Deputy Mayor saw Sheila Buckley-Byrne nominated by Cllr Gabrielle McFadden, and this was seconded by Cllr Jim Henson. Given that there was no other nominee, she was deemed to be unanimously elected. Cllr Buckley-Byrne spoke briefly, thanking her fellow members for placing their confidence in her as Deputy Mayor and stating she would be 'well-led by the Mayor' as she learned the new duties and responsibilities of the position. Members were then selected to represent the Town Council on a number of other committees and bodies. The Town Council has two representatives on the Westmeath Vocational Education Committee (VEC). After the first VEC position was taken by Cllr McFadden, Cllr Molloy and Cllr Moran proposed Cllr Hogan for the second seat. Cllr Buckley-Byrne and Cllr Shaw countered by proposing Cllr Henson for the seat, and a vote was taken. With the Independent member siding with the one Labour and three Fine Gael members - and the three Fianna Fáil members supporting Sinn Féin"s Hogan - Cllr Henson was deemed elected by one vote. When a position on the Dean Crowe Theatre trust was to be decided, Cllr Molloy was nominated by his Fianna Fáil colleagues. However, when Cllr Henson and Cllr McFadden then proposed Cllr Buckley-Byrne for the role, Cllr Molloy withdrew, indicating that he had been a member of the trust for a number of years but that there was no point in holding a vote as he and his colleagues would be outnumbered. Other positions were allocated as follows: Cllr Henson and Cllr Shaw were selected as delegates to the Association of Municipal Authorities of Ireland; Mayor Cooney and Cllr Buckley-Byrne were selected as members of the EU Operational Committee of the Midland Regional Authority; Cllr Molloy was selected as delegate to the Irish Public Bodies Mutual Insurances Ltd; Cllr Shaw, Cllr Henson and Cllr Molloy were appointed as members of the Town Twinning Committee; Mayor Cooney, Cllr Moran and Cllr Buckley-Byrne were selected as members of the Athlone People"s Festival of Europe Committee; Cllr Buckley-Byrne was appointed to a Westmeath County Council Strategic Policy Committee; Cllr Shaw and Cllr Hogan were selected to join the Board of Athlone-ECom Ltd; Mayor Cooney and Cllr Henson were selected to join the Board of Athlone Regional Sports Centre Ltd; Cllr Shaw was selected as a member of Westmeath County Council Arts Forum; Cllr Buckley-Byrne was appointed as a member of the Westmeath County Council Heritage Forum; Cllr Henson was appointed as a member of Westmeath County Council Traveller Accommodation Committee; Cllr Hogan was appointed as a member of the Westmeath County Development Board and Cllr Buckley-Byrne was appointed as a member to Westmeath Community Development Ltd.