Who has replaced Hildegarde?

snubbleste

The fragant one has departed, for the Seanad, I add hesitantly.
Who has replaced her?
Given the local elections are only six months away, why has someone not been co-opted yet?

emptybladder

Michelle Murphy co-opted today ...

https://twitter.com/ctribune/status/410079329365008384

irisheddie85

According to the advertiser Facebook Michelle Murphy from Corrofin has bbeen given her seat about an hour ago

snubbleste

snubbleste wrote: »

The fragant one has departed, for the Seanad, I add hesitantly.
Who has replaced her?
Given the local elections are only six months away, why has someone not been co-opted yet?

A Michelle Murphy from Corofin has been co-opted according to the wireless.

snubbleste

Oh?
How convenient. I saw John Mullholland out and about recently which is what prompted me to start the thread. Maybe I ought to have searched for news first.
Never heard of her.
Does she live in town, Galway city west at that?

Mrs OBumble

Corofin. That's out near Shantalla, no?

Paddyfield

I heard her on the radio today. She's from Corofin which isn't even close to the city.

There's a also FF candidate who lives in Barna but will represent the Roscam area. I can't recall his name but seriously?

Iwannahurl

I expect some of their policy preferences will reflect their residential location.

irisheddie85

Surely the fact that the main political parties can't find candidates in the area they are supposed to represent is a huge sign that there shouldn't be both a city and county council.

The sooner they are amalgamated the better

antoobrien

snubbleste wrote: »

Oh?
How convenient. I saw John Mullholland out and about recently which is what prompted me to start the thread. Maybe I ought to have searched for news first.
Never heard of her.
Does she live in town, Galway city west at that?

She worked in the city for years, her latest job is with a recruitment company in Briarhill. She was also a member of the Chamber of Commerce for a while.

what_traffic

Deleted User wrote: »

A Michelle Murphy from Corofin has been co-opted according to the wireless.

Is that Corofin, Co Galway(23km) or Corofin Co Clare(58km)? (distance from City Hall,College Road)
Do Cllr's get mileage?

gordongekko

so what? Ollie crowe lives in oranmore its no big deal.

snubbleste

gordongekko wrote: »

so what? Ollie crowe lives in oranmore its no big deal.

:eek:
His address is:
Crowes Bar,
Bohermore,
Galway
http://www.galwaycity.ie/AllServices/YourCouncil/CouncilMembers/GalwayCityCentral/

gordongekko

snubbleste wrote: »

:eek:
His address is:
Crowes Bar,
Bohermore,
Galway
http://www.galwaycity.ie/AllServices/YourCouncil/CouncilMembers/GalwayCityCentral/

unless they started doing b&b he does not actually live there.

what_traffic

gordongekko wrote: »

so what? Ollie crowe lives in oranmore its no big deal.

It is for taxpayers if they are claiming mileage to go to City Hall meetings?

gordongekko

what_traffic wrote: »

It is for taxpayers if they are claiming mileage to go to City Hall meetings?

all expenses are published. You can hardly be suggesting councillors must live within walking distance of city hall?

what_traffic

gordongekko wrote: »

all expenses are published. You can hardly be suggesting councillors must live within walking distance of city hall?

But do they get paid mileage to go to and from meetings at City Hall?
It is essentially about transparency.
Also are the elctorate aware that they are electing Cllr'S who do not live in the Ward or the City Electoral area? Is the local politican actually based locally.

Mrs OBumble

gordongekko wrote: »

all expenses are published. You can hardly be suggesting councillors must live within walking distance of city hall?

I would expect them to at least live (ideally) or work within the area that they are a representative for.

It sounds like Hillie's replacement does, though, from what Antobrien says.

Iwannahurl

what_traffic wrote: »

But do they get paid mileage to go to and from meetings at City Hall?
It is essentially about transparency.
Also are the elctorate aware that they are electing Cllr'S who do not live in the Ward or the City Electoral area? Is the local politican actually based locally.

Do they get mileage just to go to work?

I suppose if push comes to shove I'd prefer Councillors to be resident in the general area of their ward.

In fact, it might be nice if the same could be said of the Council generally.

antoobrien

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I would expect them to at least live (ideally) or work within the area that they are a representative for.

It sounds like Hillie's replacement does, though, from what Antobrien says.

Some more details than what I heard on the radio this morning:

The mother of two and manager at Briarhill based recruitment agency Collins McNicholas has been officially co-opted to the city council.

Speaking in the chamber, Michelle says she has been embedded in the city for almost 20 years, having also spent a number of years on the chamber council, and in her work in the Galway business and professional women's club of which she is now PRO.

what_traffic

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I would expect them to at least live (ideally) or work within the area that they are a representative for.

Agree but the Briarhill based recruitment agency Collins McNicholas is not in the West Ward?
http://www.galwaycity.ie/AllServices/YourCouncil/CouncilMembers/GalwayCityWest/

It's actually barely in the East Ward looking at this map.
http://www.galwaycity.ie/AllServices/YourCouncil/CouncilMembers/TheFile,1910,en.pdf

Would have thought that Galway City West was a natural FG heartland?

gordongekko

Would you not give the girl a chance and judge her on her actions and not her address.

what_traffic

gordongekko wrote: »

Would you not give the girl woman a chance and judge her on her actions and not her address.

Where is the ability of this Professional woman being questioned?

gordongekko

what_traffic wrote: »

Where is the ability of this Professional woman being questioned?

you are giving out about her because she does not live within cycling distance of the council. I have pointed out Ollie crowe has lived in oranmore for the full term since he was elected to the council without any major issues. At least wait until she has a chance to do some work before you complain about her.

what_traffic

gordongekko wrote: »

you are giving out about her because she does not live within cycling distance of the council. I have pointed out Ollie crowe has lived in oranmore for the full term since he was elected to the council without any major issues. At least wait until she has a chance to do some work before you complain about her.

Can you back that up with quotes?
Have simply being pointing out that said local Cllr does not reside or work in the local ward. This is not complaining about them.

superhotarrows

She's from Kilkerrin originally, only living in Corofin!

Mrs OBumble

superhotarrows wrote: »

She's from Kilkerrin originally, only living in Corofin!

And is that out by Knocknacarra somewhere????

galwaycyclist

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Do they get mileage just to go to work?

I suppose if push comes to shove I'd prefer Councillors to be resident in the general area of their ward.

In fact, it might be nice if the same could be said of the Council generally.

Agreed. I have long held the view that city council employees, particularly management, who do not live in the city should be invited to find accomodation in town or find employment elsewhere.

Parachuting someone in from Corofin to represent a city ward feels to me like an abuse of the privilege of being able to co-opt a councillor.

But we'll have to see won't we.

superhotarrows

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

And is that out by Knocknacarra somewhere????

Ya out past Rosmuc!!

antoobrien

galwaycyclist wrote: »

Agreed. I have long held the view that city council employees, particularly management, who do not live in the city should be invited to find accomodation in town or find employment elsewhere.

Would you apply the same rule to the dail?

Mrs OBumble

antoobrien wrote: »

Would you apply the same rule to the dail?

Well I would. Employees of the Daíl, and any other company for that matter, should ideally be living close-enough to where they work. Waste of petrol, otherwise.

galwaycyclist

antoobrien wrote: »

Would you apply the same rule to the dail?[/QUOTE


Yes I expect TDs to live in the constituencies that they represent.

galwaycyclist

gordongekko wrote: »

I have pointed out Ollie crowe has lived in oranmore for the full term since he was elected to the council without any major issues. At least wait until she has a chance to do some work before you complain about her.

I was not aware of this and I think some people may have entirely reasonable concerns about it.

However your justification triggers another question. Are you telling us, that speaking as somebody who is apparently a Fine Gael supporter, it is your position that if someone in Fianna Fail does something then that makes it ok for Fine Gael to do the same thing?

And if that is your position could you explain for us why Fianna Fail and Fine Gael need to stay as two separate parties if, according to your apparent interpretation, they are merely two sides of the same coin?

dilallio

Hildegarde - Please come back. See all the trouble you've caused!

Iwannahurl

dilallio wrote: »

Hildegarde - Please come back. See all the trouble you've caused!

This town ain't big enough! Not for me and that frilled-up, flirtin', man-rustlin' petticoat, it ain't!

antoobrien

galwaycyclist wrote: »

Yes I expect TDs to live in the constituencies that they represent.

Well then get onto all the major parties because they parachute people in regularly to dail constituencies.

dilallio

galwaycyclist wrote: »

antoobrien wrote: »

Would you apply the same rule to the dail?[/QUOTE


Yes I expect TDs to live in the constituencies that they represent.

What about sitting TDs whose constituency boundaries have been redrawn?

Should they move house, uproot their families, etc.?

galwaycyclist

dilallio wrote: »

galwaycyclist wrote: »

What about sitting TDs whose constituency boundaries have been redrawn?

Should they move house, uproot their families, etc.?

Bringing the Dail into it is a red herring - we are not talking about a national parliament.*

We are talking about a local municipal council. This is a situation where there may be a conflict between the collective interests of the people who live in that municipality and the interests of others who live outside that place - say in Corofin for instance.

One way to prevent such conflicts of interest, albeit not foolproof, is to insist that representatives and officials in structures at that level of democracy live in the communities that they are purporting to serve.

* Edit: Yes I know that the Dail and our TDs do not function as a "National Parliament" as some people would understand the concept. If it did then possibly we would not select TDs based on local constituencies and it might not matter where they lived at all. We might just pick them from a national list etc

dilallio

antoobrien wrote: »

Would you apply the same rule to the dail?

galwaycyclist wrote: »

Yes I expect TDs to live in the constituencies that they represent.

dilallio wrote: »

What about sitting TDs whose constituency boundaries have been redrawn?

Should they move house, uproot their families, etc.?

galwaycyclist wrote: »

Bringing the Dail into it is a red herring - we are not talking about a national parliament.*

We are talking about a local municipal council.

That earlier post above must be from another galwaycyclist then :rolleyes:

galwaycyclist

dilallio wrote: »

That earlier post above must be from another galwaycyclist then :rolleyes:

If it makes you feel better then in a situation where a sitting TD has the boundaries redrawn around them I would make an exception.

But bringing the Dail into is still a red herring.

dilallio

1. A councillor's vote is a matter of public record. If a councillor votes on something against the wishes of the majority of people in his/her district because they are favouring an outside area, then there's every chance that they will not be re-elected, and rightly so.

2. Elections are a great leveller. Come election-time, enough of the opposing candidates will point to the fact that this person is an 'outsider' and should not be considered. And unless they have a very impressive record, they won't be elected. I know given 2 similar candidates, most people would choose the more local one.

3. Fine Gael could have chosen a local person, but are probably looking to the next General Election. They have a shortage of female TD's, they've lost Brian Walsh & FHE, and badly need qualified professionals (preferably someone who is not a teacher / publican / solicitor - they have enough of those) to stand. This co-option is merely a toe in the water exercise.

4. It was mentioned earlier in the thread that someone from outside Galway would incur more expenses than someone from the city. This is not true. They actually get a standard annual allowance of approx 4,300 Euro for attendance at meetings. They get additional expenses for conferences (outside Galway) attended. The Mayor gets an additional mayoral allowance.

what_traffic

dilallio wrote: »

4. It was mentioned earlier in the thread that someone from outside Galway would incur more expenses than someone from the city. This is not true. They actually get a standard annual allowance of approx 4,300 Euro for attendance at meetings. They get additional expenses for conferences (outside Galway) attended. The Mayor gets an additional mayoral allowance.

It was asked if they get a mileage allowance - it was never stated as a fact.
Do they get any other additional monies other than the 4,300 Euro for being a Cllr? Thought they would be getting more money than this?

http://www.galwaycity.ie/AllServices/YourCouncil/CouncilMembers/
There are no travel expenses as far as I know.