Martin McLoughlin was formally co-opted on to Mayo County Council for the remaining three years of the term of the council on Monday afternoon at a special sitting of the council, which was convened to fill the vacancy that arose following the election of Dep Lisa Chambers to the Dáil in February.
The meeting was chaired by Fianna Fáil Cllr Damien Ryan as both the Cathaoirleach Michael Holmes and leas cathaoirleach Brendan Mulroy out of the country due to St Patrick's Day commitments. Cllr McLoughlin was proposed by Cllr Al McDonnell and the nomination was seconded by Cllr Annie May Reape. At the meeting tributes were paid to the newly elected Dep Lisa Chambers who was present in the chamber to see Cllr McLoughlin, from all sides of the house.
The council also filled the vacancies created by Deputy Chambers' election on a number of other bodies, with Cllr Damien Ryan being selected to sit on the HSE West Regional Forum and Cllr Annie May Reape to sit on the Mayo-Sligo-Leitrim Education and Training Board, a position that had to be filled by a female councillor. With Deputy Chambers no longer sitting on the council the number of female councillors sitting on Mayo county Council has dropped to just four; Fianna Fáil's Annie May Repae, Fine Gael's Teresa Maguire and the Sinn Féin duo Therese Ruane and Rose Conway Walsh.
