Tim Lucey 'gone to the dogs' as he steps down as county council chief

Cork councillors paid tribute to Mr Lucey as he departs to take up his new role as head of Greyhound Racing Ireland

Tim Lucey, chief executive of Cork County Council, is leaving to take up the role of CEO of Greyhound Racing Ireland. Picture: Brian Lougheed

A man who started off on the lowest rung of the ladder and ended up becoming the boss to about 2,000 employees has been lauded by Cork county councillors as he’s gone to the dogs'.

Tim Lucey, who started working for the county council in 1985 and who ended up as its chief executive, is leaving County Hall to take over the running of Greyhound Racing Ireland (GRI).

Mayor of County Cork, Fianna Fáil councillor Frank O’Flynn, outlined Mr Lucey’s career at his last meeting in council headquarters.

Mr O’Flynn pointed out along the way Mr Lucey worked with the Southern Health Board, came back to the county council in 1996 and 10 years later ended up in charge of its Northern Division.

In July 2010, he was appointed manager for Cork City Council but came back as the boss of the county council four years later.

Mr O’Flynn said during Mr Lucey’s tenure in the council he had overseen some momentous things, such as a multi-million euro upgrading of County Hall, developing Spike Island as a world-renowned tourist attraction, keeping the council afloat during the global economic crash in 2008 and leading the council during the very difficult covid pandemic.

“He exhibited exceptional dedication to public service and the betterment of our county. He has left a lasting impact,” Mr O’Flynn said.

Fianna Fáil leader on the council Seamus McGrath said Mr Lucey had been innovative, securing a deal for financing the local authority with the European Investment Bank.

“I want to thank him for his extraordinary service over the many decades. It’s a huge personal achievement to start at the lowest rung on the ladder and climb to chief executive. You could always go to him on a personal level to discuss issues,” Mr McGrath said.

He said the expansion of the city’s boundary in 2019 proved very challenging for the county council as it lost control of a significant portion of its population and rates base.

However, he said Mr Lucey brought “huge leadership” at that time to strengthen his own local authority in the aftermath.

Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty who was elected in 1985 — the same year as Mr Lucey became a council employee — told him: “As captain of the team you’ve done an excellent job.” 

Alan Coleman, spokesman for the council’s independents, maintained Mr Lucey had provided “dynamic leadership” and always had a strategic focus on development.

“Our loss is Bord na gCon’s gain,” added independent councillor Danny Collins.

In response, Mr Lucey said it had been a privilege to work for the council and said a lot could not have been achieved without the professionalism of his management team and council staff in general.

He pointed out that as a chief executive he has worked with four lord mayors in the city council and 12 mayors in the county council.

Mr Lucey said during his tenure as the man in charge of the county council during some very turbulent years he had been very impressed at how its staff responded to all sorts of crisis, “which is a real mark of the agility of the organisation".