Council leader wants closer links with city
County council chairman Cllr John Gallahue said he wants to develop a working relationship with his city counterpart, Mayor John Gilligan.
Elected yesterday, Cllr Gallahue (FF) was first elected to the council nine years ago as an independent. He is a former lecturer at the Limerick Institute of Technology where he was also chairman of the governing body for a number of years.
Cllr Gilligan, who is 67, lives in Ballylanders.
On being elected, the new chairman said he wants to develop a strong working arrangement with the newly elected Limerick mayor.
He said: “We are both Limerick men and it is my wish to work in mutual cooperation rather than engaging in gunboat diplomacy. That day has gone.
“We must try and achieve useful work in the very bad economic climate we are now faced with.”
Cllr Gallahue said serious negotiations still need to take place between the two authorities on the boundary issue.
The Minister for the Environment, John Gormley last March transferred a huge area of north Limerick city which was in the county to the city council as part of the regeneration programme for Moyross.
While the county council agreed to the move, there is concern in the county authority at a possible transfer of areas of the south city to the city council. The county council earns very sizeable rates revenue from areas such as Raheen which has a major industrial estate with industries such as Dell.
Cllr Gallahue said: “Serious negotiations need to take place between the city and the county. We need to look and see what plans can be put in place so the city is not restricted and the county is not put at financial risk. I have a very good personal and political with the new mayor of Limerick, John Gilligan and the new deputy mayor, John Cronin.”
