Doctor becomes the first Lord Mayor of expanded city

Fri, 07 Jun, 2019 - 21:09

Jack Squibb

THE Lord Mayor of Cork has vowed to unite the city's new communities and push 'green policies' to the top of City Hall's agenda.

Dr John Sheehan was elected the first Lord Mayor of the newly expanded Cork City at an historic meeting tonight.

The 52-year-old father of four, a GP based in Blackpool, said his mayoralty would focus on “connecting communities”.

“It means building connections between the new areas of the city such as Blarney, Kerry Pike, Glanmire, Ballincollig and other areas of Cork City," he said.

Members of the newly elected Cork City Council along with council officials, before their AGM and the election of the Lord Mayor of Cork at City Hall, Cork. Picture: David Keane.

Mr Sheehan, a Fianna Fáil councillor, said City Hall must become a strong force locally in the global efforts to tackle climate change.

"This is a challenge that should be grasped by us all. Doing nothing is not an option," he added.

However, there was sharp criticism of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for re-entering a political pact to dominate the Mayoralty over the coming five years, excluding parties such as Sinn Fein, the Workers' Party and Solidarity.