Mayors Move: Fine Gael has backed a plan to introduce legislation so that mayors will be directly elected. In the tightest vote of all motions at the party's ardfheis, delegates backed the move by just five votes.
In one of the best-attended debates, many of the party's councillors opposed the plan, which was proposed by Young Fine Gael in Dublin South. The proposal was, however, accepted by 62 votes to 57.
The motion stated that, "Fine Gael in Government will bring about the necessary legislative and electoral reforms that will allow for the direct election by the people of mayors of city, town and county councils."
Fergus O'Dowd, the party's environment spokesman and a former Louth county councillor, supported the plan. He said although councillors might not agree, Louth County Council was an example of how the current system did not work. Mr O'Dowd said he had been on the council for 25 years and "did we ever have a Fine Gael chairman? No." The Louth TD added: "The people should pick the chairman, or woman, the mayor of the day." Urging delegates to back the plan, he "very strongly" recommended it. "The only way you make change is when the chairman is boss, not the county manager."
