A Labour councillor has been elected new Lord Mayor of Dublin.
Cllr Oisín Quinn was elected by fellow councillors at the annual meeting of Dublin City Council on Monday 24 June.
First elected in 2004 to represent the Rathmines local electoral area, and re-elected in 2009 in the redrawn Pembroke-Rathmines area, the new Lord Mayor is promising to revitalise the position and use it to attract foreign direct investment to the city.
“During my term of office I will strive to ensure that the role is not merely a symbolic one but one that will act as a driver for positive change in the city, ” he said following his election.
“Dublin is a great city and I will reinforce the message at local, national and international level that Dublin is a city on the move, a great place in which to live, visit and do business. ”
Quinn said his main objectives as Lord Mayor are “to promote Dublin as a gateway to Europe for business, to make Dublin a family friendly city, and a city that embraces diversity at all levels of society.
“I will work tirelessly to achieve these objectives over the next 12 months and I look forward to engaging openly with all Dubliners on each of these objectives. ”
The new Lord Mayor is a barrister by profession, specialising in employment law since 1992. He was appointed senior counsel five years ago and has previously worked for the Law Reform Commission.
As a councillor, his joint initiatives include new playgrounds in Belgrave Square and Palmerston Park opened in spring last year; enhancement of public libraries, incorporating longer opening hours and better services; and the free public WiFi scheme in the city centre, which started last autumn on trial basis.
The Lord Mayor said his new areas of work would reflect the diverse nature of the city. “I also intend to launch initiatives to promote leadership in the many non-Irish communities living in Dublin,” he said, adding that “one in five Dubliners are non-Irish, so we must ensure all people are involved in shaping the city.”
In addition, he promised to look at reforming “the way Dublin is governed” and possibly bring about direct elections for the city’s future Lord Mayors.
“The proposal for a popular vote in Dublin next year to see whether we think a directly elected mayor is a good way forward,” he said. “Whatever changes we make must also ensure that decision-making across the Dublin region is more efficient.”
Lord Mayor Quinn will be joined by Labour Councillor Henry Upton, who was elected Deputy Lord Mayor on the evening.
Cllr Upton represents the Crumlin-Kimmage local electoral area since 2009, when he was first elected to the council.
