'We wish him all the very best' - Tributes paid to outgoing CEO of Cork County Council 

THE Chief Executive Officer of Cork County Council, Tim Lucey, has announced that he will be stepping down from his role at the end of September.

Mr Lucey confirmed his departure in a letter yesterday (Friday) morning to each Oireachtas member of Cork county.

In the letter, he also revealed that he will be taking up a CEO role with Greyhound Racing Ireland in November, and that he will conclude his role with Cork County Council on Friday, September 29.

The Bandon native served as CEO of Cork County Council since 2014. During his 40-year career in local government, he also served as manager of Cork City Council from 2010 to 2014.

Mr Lucey thanked each Oireachtas member of Cork County for their support and reaffirmed his full commitment to the organisation in the coming weeks.

“I will over the next number of weeks be making the necessary arrangements for this transition. 

"In the meantime, I look forward to continuing with my full commitment to this organisation that I am incredibly proud of.” 

Mr Lucey who has been credited with leading transformational change in the Local Government sector with a focus on investment in corporate development and commercial thinking said he is looking forward to his new role with Greyhound Racing Ireland. 

Warm Tributes 

Warm tributes were paid to Mr Lucey from councillors across the political spectrum. Fianna Fáil councillor Seamus McGrath said: “His departure is very significant for the organisation. The CEO role is incredibly important, and I think it is critical that the process to appoint a permanent chief executive commences as soon as possible so that the transition can be managed as smoothly as possible. On a personal level I would like to wish Tim all the very best for the future.” 

Fine Gael councillor John Paul O'Shea added: “Tim has left a good legacy. He has been in the council for over 40 years, and he has worked his way up right to the very top. He is a very good administrator. 

"He led us through the covid experience, which was a very challenging time for all the local authorities.
"We wish him all the very best.” 

Labour Party councillor Cathal Rasmussen said Mr Lucey was always good to deal with. “He did his job very well on behalf of Cork County Council. He was always good to deal with. He managed the organisation through some very difficult times, and I wish him well in his new role.” Independent councillor Danny Collins added: “He told you out straight what could or couldn’t be done, which I liked. He would always try and work with people on issues. He will be sadly missed in Cork County Council. Tim Lucey is leaving Cork County Council in a good state.”