As I depart from the office of Mayor this week after what has been both an enjoyable and a challenging two-years, I do so with immense pride having served as Mayor of the City I love. I leave office with extreme gratitude to all those who supported me.
To the public eye, the role of Mayor is often seen as a ceremonial one but more often it can be extremely challenging. The biggest challenge I found throughout my time is how to balance the position with regular work as a Councillor, a full-time job and a young family.
There is a perception that the Mayor forgoes their full-time job whiEt in office but this is not the case, therefore I am extremely grateful to my employer, O’Leary insurance Brokers for their understanding and support since June 2019.
.
My wife Karen and my three boys Ryan, Adam and Ben have been a huge support. As a family, we have devoted our lives to the office of Mayor and as was well documented this year, we seen the darker side of public life on that journey. At that most stressful time we were extremely grateful for the outpouring of support we received across the political divide and from the general public.
Politicians are often an easy target for criticism and many of us deal with some form of this daily, however when a line is crossed, and a person’s family and home are threatened it needs to be called for what it is.
Huge honour
.
It has been a huge honour to represent Galway as first citizen. I have attended hundreds of events, functions and celebrations and met so many brilliant people. Galway really is a wonderful place. As Mayor, your eyes are truly opened to the level of volunteerism that goes on each and every day. It is remarkable. I am very grateful for the welcome I received at each event.
Being in the unique position of having been elected Mayor for two consecutive terms, I was able to return to some events for a second time and further build up relationships with various groups and individuals. I know many of those friendships will last beyond this week.
When I was first elected Mayor in June 2019, the level of excitement and anticipation ahead of Galway 2020 was growing. Unfortunately, that never really took off to a level we know it could have.
Fifteen of my 24 months as Mayor were through one of the most uncertain periods in recent history. COVID-19 took over, but I am a person who seeks solutions and ways to make a situation better no matter what the cards I am dealt.
.
There was no play book on how to conduct yourself as first citizen throughout a global pandemic. I found at the outset that queries came to me multiple times a day from the general public, from the business community and from voluntary groups all seeking answers to unprecedented scenarios they faced.
I look back at those initial weeks and months of the pandemic and like to think that I gave my best efforts to show leadership at a time where our city required it most. This was the point where I felt my role had shifted from a ceremonial one to one where people now needed guidance and that very leadership that was needed to offer some level of comfort to those facing such stressful situations.
New ways to engage
As the months passed by, I found new ways to engage with the people of Galway. I have always been an active person and effectively ‘switching off’ was not an option. I engaged with people online by running ‘Tik Tok’ video competitions, art competitions for younger people and by meeting individuals and schools over zoom.
'We may need to think outside the box at times and we may need to make changes as we go but what is guaranteed is that we must give businesses a fighting chance'
Over the Christmas period I put out a call asking for people to nominate elderly relatives who may be alone or isolated and I offered to reach out to them. There was an overwhelming response to this, and I spent a few weeks writing over 400 personalised letters to each person just to let them know that I was thinking of them and that we would get through this period together.
My number one goal as Mayor was to open up the office to our younger people. When I was in Primary and Secondary School, I cannot remember who the Mayor was. I do not ever remember the Mayor visiting my school or asking my views or the views of my peers on any issue. I set out to change this and visited a number of our city schools pre-covid for Q&A sessions.
.
I only regret that I did not finish this programme which unfortunately was a victim of the pandemic. I do however hope that the large number of students I did get to meet and greet did learn more about the office of Mayor and how they to can some day become first citizen of this wonderful city.
Going forward as we re-open society, I am hopeful we will recover in Galway. I wish the incoming Mayor the very best and offer my full support to her in a time when we need to ensure our local authority does all it can to support local businesses in their recovery. We may need to take risks; we may need to think outside the box at times and we may need to make changes as we go but what is guaranteed is that we must give businesses a fighting chance.
.
Finally, I want to thank my political colleagues and the staff of Galway City Council for their support since June 2019.
So, as I hand back the chain of office having being Mayor for two consecutive years, I reflect with great pride. My understanding is that I am the first person in Ireland to have been elected to the office of Mayor twice before their 35th birthday and being the first person in 55 years to have been elected Mayor for consecutive years in Galway City it has made my family, my community in Westside and my supporters extremely proud.
If my legacy is to be anything, I hope it shows others from a working-class background that anything is possible once you set your mind to it and do not allow others tell you that you are not good enough.
Slán go fóill
