Dublin’s elected mayor must have ‘real teeth’ (26th January, 2010)
January 26, 2010 at 3:44 pm Leave a comment
Legislation allowing the people of Dublin to directly elect their own mayor is due to come before the Dáil in the next few weeks. The first mayoral elections in the capital are expected to take place in early summer, marking an historic opportunity to boost the profile of Dublin.
But former Dublin Lord Mayor MEP Gay Mitchell has cautioned that the new position will only work if the elected mayor takes full responsibility for his increased powers. ‘Someone who simply becomes mayor and calls for this and calls for that and plays the role of the opposition, that will not do. If we’re to have a directly elected mayor, that mayor must have real teeth and must be independent,’ said Mr Mitchell.
The proposed mayor will have responsibility for housing, transport, planning, water and waste management across the four Dublin local authorities. They will be chair of the Dublin Transport Authority. The mayor’s salary will be the same as a government minister (€191,417) and their role will be similar to that of the mayor of London.
The tenure of serving Lord Mayor Labour Councillor Emer Costello will end in mid-June.
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