Cathaoirleach appointment for Christy Hyland

INDEPENDENT Councillor Christy Hyland was today (Monday) elected cathaoirleach of the Westport-Belmullet Municipal District.

In a council chamber in Westport with a reputation for politics being left outside the door, today they were very much in evidence within it.

Councillor Hyland was proposed for the position of cathaoirleach by Fianna Fáil's Brendan Mulroy. The proposal was seconded by FF's Sean Carey, a first-time councillor from Belmullet.

Soon after Carey was to find himself in the firing line after Fine Gael's Gerry Coyle proposed FF's Achill representative, Paul McNamara, as cathaoirleach, and telling his Erris colleague Carey he was 'surprised' by his support for Hyland. The first chance he had to stand up for rural areas and he sent the chairmanship to Westport.

Belmullet, he explained, had lost a councillor – going from four down to three representatives - and now they had a councillor from the area saying they wouldn't have the chairman there.

Westport, he said, had the cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council (Brendan Mulroy), they had Minister Michael Ring, and now he was giving them carte blanche to have the cathaoirleach of the municipal district.

There was, he said, enough power in one place at one time.

Councillor Mulroy responded that he had never heard such 'shambolic politics'. They would be making no apologies for having Minister Ring in town. And he asked when Coyle was chairman of the county council had he given chairmanships of committees to Fianna Fáil or Independents.

Councillor Carey made a point about the numbers not stacking up for Coyle – is three (Carey, Peter Flynn and Johny O'Malley) the majority of seven, he asked.

FG's Peter Flynn said they didn't want to create a divide and he went on to propose Councillor Coyle for the position of cathaoirleach. Coyle seconded the proposal.

The proposal of Coyle as cathaoirleach was defeated on a vote – Carey, Hyland, McNamara and Mulroy voting against, with Coyle, Flynn and Independent Johny O'Malley voting 'for'.

With Hyland elected cathaoirleach, Sean Carey was unanimously elected leas cathaoirleach. After being proposed and seconded, Councillor Coyle popped up with 'I'll third it'.

After commenting on the positive challenges facing the district Councillor Hyland indicated his intentions about politics in the chamber – he won't be shy in adjourning meetings if they disintegrate into party politics.