Lynch to stand in 2014 county council election

IN his final speech as Mayor of Kilrush, Councillor Ian Lynch revealed plans to stand for a seat on Clare County Council in 2014.

Since Kilrush Town Councillor Tom Prendeville lost his county council seat in the 2009 local elections, Kilrush has not had representation at county council level.
If Councillor Lynch stands for Fine Gael at county level in two years time, he will be seeking to unseat one of the six West Clare area county councillors. The current Fine Gael county councillors representing the region are Councillor Gabriel Keating and Councillor Oliver Garry, while the other four councillors are Pat Keane, Bill Chambers, Christy Curtin and PJ Kelly.
Councillor Lynch said he had enjoyed the experience so much he was disappointed to have to step down after his term in office had concluded.
“It’s a day I haven’t been looking forward to. I love the town. It’s a great town,” he said.
He described his year as town mayor as “an absolute pleasure and an absolute honour”.
Some of the achievements he pointed to during his stint as mayor included the completion of the long-awaited road works on Moore Street, the introduction of casual trading and parking bylaws and the work of the Kilrush Joint Policing Committee.
However, he warned if Kilrush Town Council is disbanded as a result of government cutbacks, it would represent a regressive step for the town.
“People outside our town would be making decisions for us that may not be right for our town,” he predicted.