FG gets two Cork mayors

Two Fine Gael councillors have been elected mayors of Cork City and county.

Youghal-based Cllr Barbara Murray became the party’s first female mayor of the county.

Meanwhile, the new Lord Mayor of Cork vowed to push for an extension of the city boundary.

“Successive ministers for the environment have not addressed the need for a radical extension to the boundary,” said Cllr John Buttimer.

“There is a need for a single local authority of greater metropolitan Cork.

“This single authority would have a larger population, would allow co-ordinated planning and would be able to brand and position itself on the national and international stage.”

He said he will ask the city manager to prepare a boundary extension proposal, and will seek a meeting with Local Government Minister Phil Hogan on the issue.

Mr Buttimer, 41, a senior clinical psychologist with Cope Foundation, represents the south-west ward since his co-option to the council in 2007 following the election to the Dáil of his brother, Jerry.

He was elected mayor under a pact arrangement between Fine Gael, Labour, and Fianna Fáil, which sees the chain of office rotate between the three parties.

It was the first time the council’s AGM was streamed live on the council’s website.

Mr Buttimer also said he would use Facebook and Twitter to increase the connection between his office and the public, and would explore if council meetings could be webcast.

In a wide-ranging speech, which was watched from the public gallery by his brother, Fine Gael TD Jerry Buttimer, Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney, Senator Colm Burke (FG), and his father Jerry Buttimer, he said he plans to establish a new council committee to deal specifically with city centre issues.

And he expressed concern at a recent government decision to remove local authority representation from the board of the Port of Cork.

Cllr Barbara Murray was elected mayor of the county after defeating Cllr Kevin O’Keeffe (FF) by 33 votes to 10.