Independent councillors elected as Cathaoirleach and Leas-Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council

“TODAY is truly Independents' Day in Offaly County Council!” declared a councillor during the Annual General Meeting of Offaly County Coucil in Áras an Chontae on Monday.

Cllr Seán O'Brien had just been elected Leas-Cathaoirleach, and Cllr John Leahy had been elected Cathaoirleach. Both men are not affiliated to any party and both men received crucial backing from Fianna Fáil, which is the dominant party in the Chamber.

Stepping down as Cathaoirleach was Cllr Audrey Hennessy Kennedy (Fianna Fáil) and as Leas-Cathaoirleach Cllr Ollie Bryant (Fianna Fáil).

Several councillors strongly praised Cllr Hennessy Kennedy for her professionalism and strong ability in the Chair since last December. Cllr Bryant said Cllr Hennessy Kennedy was not into grabbing headlines but was into a common sense approach to her role.

Cllr John Leahy pointed out that as a new Councillor it can sometimes take a few years to really get to grips with the workings of the Council, "but you were given the added challenge of being the Chairperson."

Cllr Liam Quinn (Fine Gael) pointed out that the Fine Gael group of Councillors had enjoyed “a very good working relationship with Cllr Hennessy Kennedy.”

Cllr Aoife Masterson (Sinn Féin) agreed. “It was great to see a woman taking on this role and succeeding so well in it. It is not due to a lack of skill that there aren't more women in politics, but rather a lack of opportunity. In fact we can do just as good a job as our male counterparts.”

Cllr Hennessy Kennedy thanked the councillors for their kind remarks.

“It was a great honour to represent the people of my county,” she commented, “and I always tried to do it with dedication and integrity, commitment and care. Representing our communities as a first citizen is a wonderful thing and I took the role very seriously. I want to praise all the Councillors and the Council Staff who make such a vital, huge difference to the lives of our citizens. Our goal is always to improve our county. Thank you to the Council Staff for your professionalism and constant support. I am truly grateful for it, for all you did for me. Thank you to Cllr Bryant who was a great Leas-Cathaoirleach. Thank you to my family for their continued support. My family is my anchor. Public service can be demanding and a family's support is very important. I leave the Chair confident that the values of respect and service will continue to guide this chamber. It has been an honour and a privilege to be Chair.”

After the speeches it was then time for the election of the councillors to fill the roles. Cllr Peter Ormond said it gave him great pleasure and honour to nominate John Leahy for the role of Cathaoirleach.

“John was first elected to the Council in 2009, and again in 2014, 2019 and 2024. He is a great community activist and he has been involved in many community projects. Before becoming a Cllr he was a trainer in GAA clubs and he has brought some of the skills required as a trainer into his role as a councillor. Over the years we have seen some of the fruits of his hard work. He is Chair of Kilcormac Development Association, a group which is the envy of many other groups, as it determinedly goes about driving projects and raising funds.”

Cllr Seán O'Brien seconded the nomination, pointing out that Cllr Leahy is “a very committed politician. His workrate is unreal. He is a human dynamo. I don't know where he gets the energy from. He is a great community and GAA person. I am delighted to second the nomination."

A counter-proposal came from Cllr Seán Maher (Sinn Féin), who proposed Cllr Claire Murray (Sinn Féin), which was seconded by Cllr Aoife Masterson (Sinn Féin). Cllr Masterson referred to “the importance of championing women in politics.”

The councillors then voted on the two proposals. Three voted in favour of Cllr Murray and 16 against. 16 voted in favour of Cllr Leahy and three against.

The Chain of Office was then passed over to Cllr Leahy. Cllr Leahy said this was an important milestone during the highs and lows of his political career. He thanked Cllr Ormond for nominating him, adding that Cllr Ormond is a very hard working Councillor.

“This is my seventeenth year in the Chamber. I have come a long way since 2009, not least in getting to grips with the ins and the outs of Council life. I also ran in the 2011, 2016 and 2020 General Elections. In all, I have competed in seven elections and, to be honest, I felt a bit burned out during last year's local elections.”

The Councillor said he remains very proud of his time being involved with the Renua Party, “because I felt the party was representing causes which would make a positive difference. I was very fortunate to be the leader of the Renua party for three years. During that time, as my wife Lavinia can testify, I was living out of a suitcase. Then people said, be an Independent and you will be elected a TD, but unfortunately that didn't work out either!”

The councillor said he wouldn't have been made Cathaoirleach if it hadn't been for the backing of the Fianna Fáil group. He thanked the Fine Gael members 'for rowing in behind and voting for me as well'.

He outlined some of the issues which he will be focussing on during his tenure of the Chair.

“First is Housing. I think we are reaching our targets regarding social housing, therefore I don't think there will be any need to talk about social housing.

“Secondly, there are hundreds of people waiting for Disabled Persons Grants. The Council Staff are burdened with non-stop calls about that issue. I want to get on top of it.

“Thirdly, roads. Sometimes we are having to go back and repair them after just three or four years. We shouldn't have to do that. I would be aiming for eight to ten years.

“Fourthly, road safety and speed ramps. I want a special Council meeting about this issue in September or October. The Council is largely against speed ramps, but I think we need to look at this.

“Fifthly, the Just Transition Fund. Unfortunately, finding the match funding for JTF projects can be a major problem for community groups.

“Sixthly, there should be a Renewable Energy Dividend Fund. As you drive through Offaly at night you will see countless red dots in the sky. These are wind farm lights. It's like an airport or something. I think the county has gone above and beyond the call of duty regarding wind energy and we need to see more dividends for this. We need to engage in talks with these wind energy companies about dividend schemes which can go back into people's lives, improving the lives of communities throughout the county.”

He praised Cllr Quinn and former Cllr Eamon Dooley for doing a lot of work in this area.

“We have three hardworking TDs in Offaly and we need to bring them on board regarding this matter as well, because I think we need a policy change at national level.”

He thanked his parents Bridie and Paul. “Paul has been a huge inspiration to me. He has much wisdom. Unfortunately, he is not very well at the moment.”

He thanked his wife Lavinia and his children Lee and Clodagh, for their patience and understanding.

Cllr Declan Harvey (Fianna Fáil) nominated Cllr Seán O'Brien for the role of Leas-Cathaoirleach, whom he called “a fine Councillor, who has served eighteen years in the Tullamore Council and is a member of many groups.” The nomination was seconded by Cllr Frank Moran (Fianna Fáil), who said Cllr O'Brien was a “great community activist.”

There were two counter-proposals. Cllr Liam Quinn (Fine Gael) nominated Cllr Neil Feighery (Fine Gael). Cllr Aoife Masterson (SF) nominated Cllr Seán Maher (SF).

“It is important we have voices from across the political spectrum,” she said. “Over many years Seán has been a great voice for the people who are often forgotten about. For example, he has done great work for the Traveller community.”

In the voting, four voted for Cllr Maher, fifteen against. Six voted for Cllr Feighery, 13 against. Ten voted for Cllr O'Brien, nine against. Cllr O'Brien was therefore deemed elected.

“Two Independents being elected is extraordinary!” exclaimed Cllr O'Brien. “We should declare it Independents' Day!”

He said there is a lot of work to do over the next 12 months. “The Just Transition Fund is a huge issue. Offaly has suffered worse from the decarbonisation programme than any other county. It has cost us thousands of jobs. We want jobs here in Offaly not somewhere else. We don't want Offaly to be a dormitory county. We want it to be a living, vibrant county. The Housing issue is a massive issue facing everybody, but I think there are some lights at the end of the tunnel. Previously we couldn't zone enough land for housing, but now it looks as if that will change.” Cllr O'Brien also said he wants to see a new Business Park in Tullamore.