At the last ever meeting of the Ballinrobe electoral area committee this week councillors pleaded to the local electorate to ensure that Ballinrobe secures three seats in the new-look Claremorris electoral area which will incorporate Ballinrobe following the June local elections.
Committee chairman Harry Walsh led the appeal saying he hoped Ballinrobe would enjoy equal membership with Claremorris in the new six-seater area.
He thanked his two colleagues Councillors Damien Ryan and Patsy O’Brien and all the council officials, including Ray Norton, the retired director of services for the area and his replacement Seamus Granahan.
Cllr Ryan added that he hoped when the votes are counted on June 6 that Ballinrobe will have as strong a representation as Claremorris in the new area which will see the loss of one seat. “It is crucially important that three councillors are returned to Ballinrobe, three out of six would divide the cake half way,” he added while wishing his fellow councillors the best of luck in the upcoming election.
However, Cllr Ryan reiterated his frustration that Ballinrobe has been subsumed into the Claremorris area. He singled out area engineer Kieran Shally for his work on solving the Kilmaine flooding problem. He said it was important that Ballinrobe would hold on to its area engineer and described as “downgrading” their incorporation into the Claremorris area.
Cllr O’Brien said the co-operation shown between the three councillors and council staff in the Ballinrobe area was “second to none”. He said when they started five years ago there was no playground and since then substantial money has been invested in the Bower’s Walk. “We put on the jersey and wore it for Ballinrobe and south Mayo. We never disagreed over any area that was important to us. That team worked,” he said while wishing his colleagues well.
He said it was important that Ballinrobe got fair and equal representation in relation to engineering. He thanked the local Community Development Committee for all its lobbying. He promised if re-elected he wouldn’t be afraid to continue shouting for the good of Ballinrobe. “The people come first. They are our masters, the broad interview board we have to deal with over the coming weeks.”
Director of services Seamus Granahan acknowledged the work done by the three councillors and wished them well in the elections.
