Newly appointed county manager Peter Hynes was given a standing ovation at Westport Town Council last Thursday after councillors paid tribute to the man who led Westport to a number of “significant achievements” over the past nine years.
Cathaoirleach of the town council Councillor Myles Staunton said that this manager, who was on the job seven days a week at any time, “led positively and constructively” over the past number of years and that the “pro-business council” has attained a number of significant achievements with Westport “punching well above its weight”.
Cllr Keith Martin said that Mr Hynes was an excellent town manager who conducted himself with professionalism and took risks in the system such as supporting film promotion, etc. Fianna Fáil councillor Brendan Mulroy said that Mr Hynes will be a loss to Westport as he had “a sense of humanity and cop-on”, while Fine Gael councillor Ollie Gannon said that anything good which happened to this town had “Peter Hynes’ fingerprints on it”. Cllr Margaret Adams complimented the fact that Mr Hynes “was never shy to give up his time”, and as director of services he paid a great interest to the islands.
Cllr Christy Hyland said that Mr Hynes is the reason why Westport is in such a healthy state during the recession, and Cllr Michael McLaughlin said that Mr Hynes has the “resourcefulness and creativeness” needed for the county manager’s job.
Town clerk Ann Moore said that the past nine years working with Mr Hynes have been “challenging and rewarding” and she thanked him on behalf of the staff.
My Hynes firstly paid tribute to “absent friends”, those who have passed away in the past few years, and thanked council members from 2001 to present and staff both indoor and outdoor. Mr Hynes said that he is proud of the great strides made in affordable, social, and inclusive housing in the town and he also stressed the importance of study trips undertaken by the town council which were pivotal in developing ideas for the town.
The new county manager said “I am no management guru”, and said that the town’s success was only possible with partnership of the town council, community groups, and county council, and that the Pride of Place Awards in 2007 encompassed what it is all about. Mr Hynes said that Westport Town Council “is a beacon of a good town council” and “is one of the great reasons why town councils should not be abolished”.
Mr Hynes said that he was privileged to have served the town for the past nine years and was also privileged to commence his new job, where he hopes he will be able to assist the town council.
My Hynes said that Mayo has come a long way in the past 30 years and he hopes to continue to move the county forward. “I know not what the future holds, but I know who holds the future,” is how Mr Hynes summed up his optimism for the county — the future of Mayo is in our hands.
