As the newly elected Westmeath County Council meets for the first time later today, it looks likely that, for the first time in years, Fine Gael will be in control of all three local authorities in the county.
With Cllr Mark Cooney already installed as mayor of Athlone, and Cllr Ruth Illingworth as the new mayor of Mullingar, speculation is rife that Fine Gael’s Cllr Fintan Cooney will take the third of the county’s hot seats as cathaoirleach of Westmeath County Council.
The appointment of Cllr Cooney as mayor of Athlone follows several years in which an alliance between Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein ensured that these two parties ruled the roost. However, with three Fianna Fail, three Fine Gael, one Sinn Fein, one Labour, and one independent councillor now filling the chamber, it was unclear which way the votes would go until Monday’s meeting.
Meanwhile in Mullingar, Cllr Illingworth was unanimously elected as chair of the town council, proving that the longstanding agreement between Labour and Fine Gael to share leadership of the council remains alive and well.
This afternoon’s inaugural meeting of the new Westmeath County Council will be the first to take place in the recently opened county buildings in Mullingar.
The 74,900 sq ft offices were opened on Thursday last week in the presence of outgoing and newly-elected councillors, Oireachtas members, and council staff.
