Fennessy elected Mayor for third time

Sinn Fein's Cllr Eddie Fennessy was elected Mayor of Navan for the third year in a row at a meeting of Navan Municipal Council this morning.

Cllr Fennessy was elected as part of a pact between himself, Fianna Fail's Cllr Padraig Fitzsimons and Independents, Cllr Francis Deane and Alan Lawes.

Cllr Lawes was elected deputy Mayor.

Cllr Yemi Adenuga (FG) was also nominated for the position of Mayor by party colleague, Cllr Linda Nelson Murray and Aontu's Cllr Emer Toibin, who spoke of the 'Old Boys Club' keeping women out of the role of Mayor for the next five years.

Cllr Fennessy said that over the next five years the council would oversee the completion of the Navan 2030 scheme, the local cycle network and a new bridge over the River Blackwater.

"We will also be tasked with managing the development of three new roads in the town linking the Commons Road with the Trim Road and the Dublin Road at Limekiln, the construction of which will open further land up to residential expansion.

"Our population is growing, and we have a responsibility to ensure that we have the infrastructure in place to meet that demand," he said.

Cllr Fennessy had been proposed by Cllr Fitzsimons and seconded by Cllr Deane.

Cllr Linda Nelson Murray nominated Cllr Adenuga pointing out she has been a strong councillor for Navan.

"She was left our of the mayoral pact during her first term and the same group are now excluding her again.

"There have only ever been two female Mayors of Navan," she pointed out.

Cllr Emer Toibin who seconded Clr Adenuga said that the pact smacks of the 'Old Boys Club.'

"The sexist nature of this four man pact in 2024 is unbelievable," she said.

Cllr Lawes said that he was voting for people whose politics were closer to his.

"Talking about equality, we have 14,000 homeless and half of them are women. This has been caused mainly by Fine Gael policy," he said.

"I am not anti-woman. I voted for Maria White (SF) for Cathaoirleach of the full council, because I am closer to her politics."

Cllr Fennessy pointed out that in the last general election, Sinn Fein had received a bigger vote than any other party, but the old boys network of Leo Varadkar, Micheal Martina d Eamon Ryan had kept Mary Lou McDonald out of office.