Mayo County Council is on the lookout for a new chief executive after Peter Hynes announced he would be retiring this week.
The outgoing chief executive, who has held the position for the past ten years, told the elected members of the council on Monday at their May meeting which was held in St Mary's Hall in GMIT in Castlebar, that he would not be looking to go forward for another term, with his tenure expiring at midnight on Wednesday, May 13.
Hynes joined the council in 1984 as an assistant architect and worked his way up, becoming Director of Services for the western region and town manager in Westport along with being responsible for housing in the county - before he was appointed as the chief executive in 2010.
Looking back on his time in the role, he said when he took on the position he wanted to work so that Mayo would be sustainable, inclusive, prosperous and proud. It had been an enormous privilege to serve in the position for the past decade - which had flown by.
Numerous tributes were paid to the outgoing chief executive by the elected members at the meeting, with some stating that during the Covid19 crisis his experience will be greatly missed.
A national competition will be opened to fill the position, but in the interim, the post will be filled by the current director of finance for the council, Peter Duggan. Mr Hynes wished Mr Duggen the best in his new role. When the outgoing chief executive finished his address to the elected members he received a standing ovation from the councillors.
