Extra council seats give Tuam politicians hope beyond Town Council

By Jacqueline Hogge CONFIRMATION that Tuamâ€â„¢s electoral area is to be expanded at the next local elections will give outgoing members of the town council hope that their political careers will continue at county council level. Town councils will be abolished in 12 monthsâ€â„¢ time when local government elections will see councillors elected simultaneously to new municipal districts and the county council chamber next June. The boundary commission report has recommended an increase of nine seats on Galway County Council to 39 members, with extra seats being allocated in areas where town and urban district councils have been abolished. The majority of the current board of Tuam Town Council has indicated they will contest seats for the county council, which have been increased from seven to nine for the Tuam electoral area. Fianna Fáilâ€â„¢s Tom Reilly, who is the longest-serving member of the town council, is hoping to regain the council seat he lost in 2009, while party colleague and outgoing Tuam Mayor Eamonn Kitt will also be hoping to secure a seat at his first attempt of contesting the county council elections. Fine Gael councillors Sally Ann Flanagan and Paul Oâ€â„¢Grady have confirmed they will contest their partyâ€â„¢s convention later this year, while former mayor Mary Loftus is to run as an independent. The redrawn boundaries see the Tuam area expanded to include Ryehill and Monivea, meaning the new electoral area covers a region from Ballymoe in the north of the county through to Headford in the west and as far east as Creggs. Tuamâ€â„¢s growing population has also warranted a second additional seat on the new municipal district, where members will have a greater role in determining matters concerning roads, planning, traffic management, housing, environment, and community development. The demise of the town council will see Tuam lose its Mayor, which is a ceremonial role that was introduced in 2001 when the town board was rebranded as a town council. The townâ€â„¢s final mayor, who will take the chain of office later this month, will complete the circle for one local family, as her late father was the first Mayor of the town. Independent councillor Imelda Kelly has said she will not seek election to the new municipal district. However, her final year of office will reflect that of her father Miko, who was a long-serving member of the town commissioners and became the townâ€â„¢s first serving Mayor. Under the current arrangements, Tuam electoral area councillors are headed by a chairperson, and it is understood this will continue at municipal district level. However, with two more seats available, it is likely the field will be flooded with Tuam-based candidates, who will seek to increase the townâ€â„¢s representation from the two current councillors from the town, Tom McHugh and Shaun Cunniffe. The finer details concerning the new municipal districts have yet to be finalised and it is still unclear what, if any, role Tuamâ€â„¢s Town Hall will have in the new municipal district. Town manager Frank Gilmore said the next 12 months would reveal a lot about how the new structures would work and what roles and functions the new municipal districts would have. â€Å“There seems to be a division between central and municipal roles, in that something like the county development plan will be determined by the main county council, while local area plans will be decided on by members of the municipal districts,â€Â he said. â€Å“There does appear to be a facility for recall whereby central council can override decisions at municipal district level where there is an issue arising, such as if a local area plan is in conflict with the county development plan, but itâ€â„¢s going to be a while before we know exactly how it will work. â€Å“When the town councils are abolished all assets will be transferred back to the county council and that includes the town hall in Tuam,â€Â he said. â€Å“It will be a decision for the members as to whether or not meetings are held there, but it is certainly a possibility.â€Â