Government's directly elected mayors plan likened to Mayor Quimby from The Simpsons

The Government's plan to introduce directly elected mayors has been likened in the Dáil to the corrupt Mayor Joe Quimby in the popular cartoon series 'The Simpsons'.

The Government's plan to introduce directly elected mayors has been likened to the corrupt Mayor Joe Quimby in the popular cartoon series 'The Simpsons' in the Dail.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar faced questions from opposition TDs yesterday in the wake of an

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Shane Cassells, Fianna Fail TD for Westmeath hit out at the failure of the Government to hold an adequate information campaign to explain to the public what is involved.

“We are eight weeks away from polling day. If there is not at the very least a very basic understanding of the proposals, they are destined to fail, which would be disastrous for local democracy. Let us not give the people a Mayor Quimby solution; let us give them the first step to real reform,” he blasted.

Referencing the Irish Examiner report, he said: “This week we have had reporting of Cabinet Ministers saying the proposal could lead to an over-concentration of control. There is currently an overconcentration of control; it has existed for 121 years in the Custom House.”

“Even more concerning are the observations of the Attorney General, Mr. Seamus Woulfe, about the transfer of powers from the executive to the elected members and raising the flag about a loss of expertise, which, if reported correctly, are extremely worrying from the point of view of the suppression of the advancement of local democracy. We all know there is no loss of expertise or jobs; it is all about who is accountable to the public on policy,” he said.

“He also observed that the plebiscite should be sent for further legal advice and indeed further policy consideration. Does the Taoiseach share the Attorney General's views in respect of directly elected mayors? What is the timeframe - if they are being sent out for further consideration - for the start of the information campaign the Taoiseach mentioned yesterday?” Mr Cassells added.

In response, Mr Varadkar the Government will not use any public money on advocating a "Yes" vote, but there will be an information campaign funded publicly.

“I might just explain the proposal in the simplest way possible. This is a real job. This will be a lord mayor for Cork and mayors for Waterford city and county, and Limerick city and county, if they want it,” he said.

“We will see a transfer of power from the chief executive, formerly known as the county or city manager, to a directly elected mayor. It will be similar to the relationship that exists today in Departments between Ministers and their Secretaries-General. The mayor will propose the budget and the development plan. This is a real job with real clout for somebody who can lead their city regions forward. The powers to stay with the CEO are those that are most appropriately not dealt with by a politician: individual planning decisions, individual housing applications and human resources matters,” he added.

Mr Cassells asked what is the timeframe for the information campaign and Mr Varadkar responded by saying: “I think it is next week or the following week. The Minister of State, Deputy Phelan, is doing it.”