The chair was almost the mayor following a meeting of Kilkenny County Council this week, which saw Labour councillor Michael O’Brien once again call for the change of the title of chairman of Kilkenny County Council to mayor.
Cllr O’Brien raised the motion claiming that the change in title would bring Kilkenny in line with several other counties which had changed their title. However his motion was defeated.
“This is progressive change. We need to meet modern demands. While I was chairman, the numbers of people who requested the presence of the mayor were vast and we need to be able to offer a county mayor to the people of the county,” he said.
However Cllr O’ Brien’s request was voted down by two thirds of the members who were present, with just seven voting for and 15 voting against the motion.
Cllr Mary Hilde Cavanagh noted that reform of local government was imminent and welcome and she said she believed that respect for the title of chairman was there, but agreed that it needed to be bolstered.
“This is the highest position of the county. And if respect is not there for it — I don’t know. This is a matter for the protocol committee. The chairman is the senior person of the county and the mayor is senior person of the city. We shouldn’t get bogged down in titles,” she concluded.
Cllr John Coonan said that he also believes in local government reform but that it has to be for a good reason.
“Does a name change make a real change?” he asked.
“It’s my belief that it’s a body and the leader of that body that bring on change. No name change will make councils work better. The county council has a lot of history and we have a responsibility to not cause confusion if we change the name. There are two very distinct roles for the chairman and the mayor. And in our own interests I see no inherent reason for changing the name for the sake of change.”
Cllr Malcolm Noonan, who was mayor while Cllr O’ Brien was chairman last year, added: “I couldn’t support this motion. I firmly believe that the title is held in great regard since 1609. It has a unique history, more so than any other county. But it is very important that the chairman and the mayor work closely together and bring inward investment to the city and county — this is far more important,” he added.
Cllr Tomas Breathnach pointed out that the chairman has a more collective cachet, while the title of mayor has a more personal nuance attached to it.
“The key thing is that there is need for support for both roles and clarity for both roles.”
A vote was held on the matter and was defeated by 15 votes to seven.
The issue is permitted to be raised again in the future.
