Newly elected Mayor of Waterford Seamus Ryan speaks on the year ahead

Cllr Seamus Ryan has been elected Mayor of Waterford City and County Council.

His Labour party colleague Cllr John Pratt will serve as Deputy Mayor.

At last week's Plenary Council AGM in City Hall, Cllr Ryan was elected by 21 votes to nine, defeating Independent Cllr Joe O’Riordan to the position.

A member of the Labour Party since 1987, Cllr. Ryan has a long and distinguished career in local politics, first serving as a Councillor with Waterford City Council in 1999.

Cllr Ryan said in his opening speech, “It would be my intention that my Mayoralty over the next year will embrace the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in keeping with the principles of this Council."

He stressed the importance of continued support to a number of key projects across the city and county.

Mayor Ryan’s love of arts and literature was evident during his speech. 

He previously served as a librarian at SETU and a board member of Garter Lane. He is currently a board member of the Theatre Royal.

“I believe that the contribution from the arts in Waterford is second to none in this country," he said.

He described Waterford Airport as the "missing piece of the jigsaw" and committed to continued calls on Government to enable the runway extension.

Regarding cardiac care at UHW,  he said: “We must not take our eyes off the key price, and that is 24/7.” 

Concluding his speech, Cllr Ryan said: "We must continue to be on the right side of history" when it comes to voicing support for Palestine.

'Musical chairs'

Independent Councillor Joe O’Riordan was the only other elected member to put his name forward for the position.

He congratulated Cllr Ryan on his election, describing him as a "tremendously empathetic person, kind, warm and a very able and astute operator."

Cllr O'Riordan added, however, that the Council's pact system has led to the various Mayor and Cathaoirleach positions becoming a “game of musical chairs with all seating reserved for the pact”.

The pact is made up of all the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Labour councillors, along with a number of independent councillors.

“This result was a foregone conclusion and guaranteed by an amalgamation of political entities that defy logic," Cllr O'Riordan said, "the pact have shown little commitment to democracy over the past year. I cannot but protest it and register my opposition.” 

Cllr Donal Barry, who proposed Cllr O’Riordan for the role of Mayor, also voiced his reluctance to “supporting government parties”. 

Thanks

Outgoing Mayor Cllr Jason Murphy was thanked by executive staff and fellow councillors for his year in the role.

Cllr Murphy said that one of his final acts as Mayor was to once again write to Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien to request an urgent meeting to progress Waterford Airport.

Cllr Murphy reflected positively on the various trips and events he attended over the past year, and expressed his hopes that the Mayor’s Ball would continue under new leadership following the recent retirement of Cha O'Neill from the event. 

In a new tradition, Chief Executive Sean McKeown presented Cllr Murphy with three mementoes from his year as Mayor.

Cllr Murphy was given a record of the many Mayoral Receptions, which he hosted for community leaders in City Hall, a collection of photos from key trips, and a copy of all 111 speeches he made during the year.

Councillors complimented Cllr Murphy for the “humour, cheekiness, dignity and professionalism" he brought to the role.