Michael J Crowe is set be elected the Mayor of Galway city on Monday June 21, but the Bohermore man should watch out as his fellow Fianna Fáil councillor Peter Keane could also have his eye on the position.
Peter Keane was chosen as deputy mayor for 2009-2010 and by virtue of event scheduling and the Icelandic volcano, he has enjoyed a greater prominence in the role than many of his predecessors (it reminds me of that Only Fools And Horses episode where Del Boy says: “The end of the world is the break we’re looking for Rodney.” )
The current Mayor councillor Declan McDonnell was in China in April as part of a Galway delegation to explore trade, education links, and twinning. He was due to fly home to Galway before attending a conference in Chicago, but owing to the volcano he was stranded in Beijing, unable to fly back to Galway and had to go to Chicago directly. Hence he was out of Galway for a number of weeks.
This allowed deputy mayor Peter Keane to stand in for the Mayor at events in Galway city during that time. Scheduling also meant Cllr Keane recently hosted the Mayoral Youth Conference in City Hall as well.
The upshot of this is an increase in Cllr Keane’s profile and public recognition, a rise in his own level of confidence, and an increase in his appetite for politics. The experience has also seen him mature politically. Indeed he may now feel the mayoralty proper and a shot at the Dáil is worth planning for in the future.
Cllr Keane will not be standing against Cllr Crowe for the right to be Mayor of Galway next month but he might jostle with Ollie Crowe for a shot at the post down the line.
It is also understood that Fianna Fáil HQ sees a good, city based, candidate as essential for Galway West at the next election.
Might Cllr Keane’s increased confidence persuade him to throw his hat into the ring? What will Cllr Crowe and Dep Frank Fahey think of that? The race for the third spot on the Fianna Fáil ticket in Galway West just might be warming up.
