6 June 2017, Tuesday
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Clonakilty’s new voluntary, directly-elected, non-political, community Mayor will be inaugurated this Thursday evening 8th June at 8pm at a public ceremony at Asna Square, Clonakilty, Co Cork.
Outgoing Mayor Anthony McDermott will be stepping down after his busy year and the chain of office will be passed onto John Loughnan, who will hold the position for the next year. Gretta O’Donovan will step into the Deputy Mayor position.
After the abolition of all the town councils in 2014 (when the Local Government Reform Act 2014 was implemented), the people of Clonakilty got together and held a special election in which five candidates were elected for one year each as voluntary, ceremonial, non-statutory Mayors, and hold the position in the order in which they were elected by the people.
It is the only town in the whole of Ireland to undertake such a project, which is very popular with locals. On average the Mayors attend between 150 – 170 engagements per year and being totally voluntary, receive no payment or expenses of any sort.
