Council chairperson to quit local politics next year

The cathaoirleach of Meath County Council, Cllr Liz McCormack, has told the Fianna Fail party organisation that she will not be running in next year"s local elections. Cllr McCormack told a party cumann meeting in Athboy last week that she will not be seeking re-election to Meath County Council, saying that she felt 10 years was an adequate period to devote as a public representative. She thanked the people of Athboy and surrounds and the Kells electoral area for supporting her in two local elections, and said that she enjoyed representing the town and its people in the council chamber. 'It was not a decision taken lightly,' Cllr McCormack said in a statement. 'It was taken after consultation with family and close friends.' Cllr McCormack, a community and Fianna Fail activist in Athboy, was first elected to Meath County Council in 1999, following the retirement of veteran Oristown councillor, Sib Rooney. She was re-elected in 2004, and has been regarded as a hard worker for Athboy, assisting in many projects and initiatives that have taken place there over the past decade. 'I wish to thank the electorate of the area for supporting me for two terms on the county council,' Cllr McCormack said. 'I have enjoyed working on their behalf and representing them in the council chamber and in dealings with various state agencies.' She added that if she ran for a third term and was lucky enough to be re-elected, she didn"t feel that she would be able to devote the same time and commitment that the people of Athboy and surrounds deserve. Many of the groups she had worked with and assisted over the years were now up and running and very strong themselves, she believed. Cllr McCormack stressed that she would continue to be as active as ever for the rest of her term, until next year"s elections. 'There is still a lot of work to be done around the town and area,' she said. 'And I am also very conscious of the honour bestowed on me by my council colleagues in electing me cathaoirleach this year, and wish to be able to give that role the commitment that it requires,' she added. Cllr McCormack said the local cumann had been very supportive of her when she ran previously, and she was now grateful for them as they were equally supportive of her decision to take a step back. She hoped that any future public representative of the area would be pro-active in looking after the needs of the town. The Kells electoral area will see a reduction in its seats in the next local election, but this is not believed to be a factor in Cllr McCormack"s decision. 'I feel 10 years is an adequte period to devote to such a demanding and busy role as that of a local public representative at this level,' she said. Cllr McCormack made Meath Couny Council history earlier this year when she was elected the first ever female cathaoirleach. Proposing Cllr McCormack for the chair, Cllr Seamus Murray said she was a very committed member of the local authority who worked very hard for her town and electoral area, as an elected public representative since 1999 and before. Independent councillor and former TD Brian Fitzgerald seconded Cllr McCormack"s nomination, saying that her nomination wasn"t out of tokenism, but because she deserved the position in recognition of all the work she had done over the years. It was 25 years since Athboy last held the chair, when the late Pat Andrews was elected. And Cllr McCormack was following a strong tradition of public representation in the Athboy area, following on from Sean McGurl, Jimmy Finn and Pat Andrews over the years, Colr Fitzgerald added. John Feeney adds: Cllr McCormack completed a very competent term as chairperson of Kells Area Council immediately prior to her election as full council cathaoirleach last July and has been a dogged fighter on behalf of Athboy and the surrounding hinterland during her two terms. Her decision is understood to have been the result of long consideration but she will come under pressure from her party to reconsider, given the changing Athboy boundary. It has lost some townlands into the Trim electoral district, while the Gibbstown townlands have been restored to Navan after less than 10 years. The pace of population growth means that Athboy"s existing lower turnout may worsen (two boxes in the local primary school in 2004 showed voting of just 58 and 59 per cent, while boxes elsewhere in the district went into the mid-70s). The reduction from six to five seats in the Kells electoral district confronts all sitting councillors with a challenge. Fianna Fail looks certain to prepare thoroughly to retain its three seats, with Cllr Bryan Reilly in a strong position. Dominic Moran of Carlanstown has already been nominated by Nobber FF cumann, and he polled well, transferring effectively to the other candidates in 2004. Cllr McCormack achieved 1,416 first preferences in the 2004 election, putting her in fifth place. She was the last councillor to be elected on the fourth and final count, where her 1,713 votes were still 145 below the quota but 250 above losing outgoing councillor Gerry Gibney (Fine Gael) from Oldcastle.