Carey grabs council chair as women take over from the farmers!

In Meath, the farmers are out, and the women are in. So it seemed from last week"s annual meeting of Meath County Council, which saw the balance of power swing back to Fine Gael for the first time in almost two decades, supported by Labour. Cllr John V Farrelly of Fine Gael, in his opening speech to nominate his colleague, William Carey, as chairman, remarked on how there were nine new women members on the FG-Labour benches. When he was first elected to the council in 1975, there were 21 farmers on the council. Now there was just one, he said, his colleague Eugene Cassidy. But the women were here now to keep manners on them. 'I"m sure we"ll get our knuckles rapped an odd time by the ladies,' Cllr Farrelly declared. The meeting soon began to resemble an edition of 'Fr Ted", with all the lovely ladies being welcomed by speakers, and it was only later that Labour"s Eoin Holmes also pointed out that the men were also quite stylish. The ladies in the public gallery didn"t escape, either. Cllr Noel Leonard, the new vice-chairperson, congratulating Cllr Bill Carey on his elevation to council chairperson, said he had got to know Cllr Carey"s wife, Betty, quite well over the past year. This caused some raised eyebrows and laughter, led by the county manager, Tom Dowling, and cathaoirleach Cllr Carey as Cllr Leonard saw the funny side of his remark. Cllr Farrelly welcomed the nine new women members which, he said, was a huge increase from the outgoing council. Ann Dillon-Gallagher was the only returning councillor from the four that had been elected at the previous election. Jenny D"Arcy didn"t run in the election, Alison Boyle had resigned her seat during the council for a job in the Solstice Arts Centre, and Liz McCormack, the outgoing cathaoirleach, had lost her seat. Tributes were paid to her by Cllr Shane Cassells, the newly-appointed Fianna Fail whip, as he proposed Cllr Noel Leonard for the post of cathaoirleach. A vote was called. Fine Gael and Labour, sitting on the governing side of the chamber, together with Independent councillor Joe Bonner, so were confident of a victory. Cllr Bonner, first to be called, was absent for the roll call vote, which went on to record 15 votes in favour of Cllr Carey, eight for Cllr Leonard and six abstentions, including Cllr Bonner"s missing vote, as well as councillors Jimmy Cudden, Francis Deane, Brian Fitzgerald and Patsy O"Neill, all independent, and Sinn Fein"s Joe Reilly. The three female Labour 'Macs" - McElhinney, McGowan and McHugh - joined Cllr Eoin Holmes in supporting the Fine Gael nominee. Cllr Carey, who has been 43 years on the council and was last the chairman in 1984, began by paying tribute to former members who had lost their seats, Cllrs McCormack, Seamus Murray, Jimmy Mangan and Patsy O"Neill, and 'the man who sat there" - pointing to the front of the old FF bench. 'For 20 bloody years, we were the victims of the times in my party, and we waited a long time for the wheel to turn, and it has turned,' he said. 'So I know how the people on that side feel now,' he said. 'After elections, we say the people have spoken, and on three occasions, I would say 'damn them!", but not on this occasion.' He said that he always had a sense of timing. 'That"s why I"m ascending the chair at a time of a major funding crisis,' he joked. However, his first task was to get onto the people in the Custom House who had allowed the population expand in the good times but not provide the equivalent funding per head of capita. 'The Government seems to think we"re still a rich agricultural country with a rural population,' he said. 'That attitude needs to be changed - we are now more urban than rural,' he said, before setting of on a list of problems that beset the Royal County which he was going to address. Cllr Cassells, while congratulating him on his elevation, criticised the negative picture Cllr Carey painted of the county. Cllr Cassells agreed that there were many challenges, but also many opportunities, with the M3 and the necessary readjustments for the towns along it, and progress on the rail line and regional hospital needed to be led from the top table of the council. After that, everyone got their tuppence worth in with their words of congratulations combined with shopping lists for the year, including Cllr Farrelly who wants grass verges mowed. Cllr Eugene Cassidy hoped that the manager and top table would pay more attention to the speakers during this term, while Cllr Eoin Holmes said he was looking forward to the cathaoirleach presiding over efficient meetings that work well. Following Cllr Leonard"s election unopposed as leas-cathaoirleach, there was a welcome break to photograph 'Willie"s Women" on the front lawn of County Hall, before returning to divvy out the jobs for the boys - and girls!