Cllr Gaffney new mayor of Mullingar Kinnegad MD

A new mayor and deputy have been elected to the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad to serve for the next year. Taking over the role from Cllr Mick Dollard, Cllr Niall Gaffney has been chosen to chair the next term.

A member of Fianna Fáil,the youngest member of Westmeath County Council, and a first-term councillor, he is looking forward the year ahead of him.

“I’d like to thank Senator Aidan Davitt, my parents Martina and John, and my fiancée for coming in and for all their support,” he said.

“They have always been quick with words of encouragement and always been quick with words of advice.

“Even when you don’t want the advice,” he joked, “it’s probably the time you need it most.”

Cllr Gaffney also thanked his predecessors in the role. “I’d like to acknowledge Cllr Mick Dollard for his incredible year as chair. I have very big shoes to fill.

“I’d also like to acknowledge Cllr Ken Glynn, his predecessor. Between the two gentlemen, they have over 60 years of experience on the council.”

As special as this day is for Cllr Gaffney, it holds another kind of significance. “I am the first rural councillor to take up the role, and I’m very aware of the significance and the importance of that.”

Cllr Gaffney laid out the goals for his tenure. “One thing that’s very much dawned on me and the work of all our colleagues and the executives over the last few years is that it’s not a question of the town having something at the expense of the rural community – it’s a very much joint effort , we are a united district.”

His next goal is one he has been outspoken about throughout his time as a councillor, on a municipal level and a county wide one. “My first and top priority has always been road safety, particularly around schools, and I think it stands to all of us here that we’ve made huge strides in traffic calming measures in our towns and villages.

“Finally, I’d like to make a commitment to everyone to keep that level of impartiality and fairness that was seen by my two predecessors.”

The new deputy mayor is Cllr Aoife Davitt. She is currently serving as cathaoirleach of Westmeath County Council – the first woman to hold the role in the 127-year history of the council.

District members congratulated the two and wished them luck for their terms.