Gaffney welcomes O’Rourke to role as AILG president

Cllr Niall Gaffney, cathaoirleach of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad, gave the welcome address at the AILG annual general meeting in Mullingar yesterday Thursday, when Cllr Aengus O’Rourke was elected president.

Cllr Gaffney said: “It’s fantastic to support fellow Westmeath Fianna Fáil councillor, Aengus O’Rourke, in his election as the incoming president of the Association of Irish Local Government (AILG).”

Cllr O’Rourke is the first Westmeath councillor to assume the leading role with the association. He was elected at the AGM in the Mullingar Park Hotel, succeeding outgoing president, Cllr Mary Hanna Hourigan of Tipperary.

While he officially took charge as president of the AILG from Thursday last, earlier this summer Cllr O’Rourke was selected as Fianna Fáil’s nominee for the role at a meeting in Sligo.

After a contest which also involved a councillor from Laois, Cllr O’Rourke was voted in as the party’s chosen candidate.

In his acceptance speech, he thanked councillors from across the country for showing confidence in him: “It is a tremendous honour to be elected president of the AILG. I am deeply grateful for the confidence my colleagues have placed in me and I look forward to representing councillors across Ireland during what is an important period for local government.”

Noting the publication last week of the government’s implementation plan for reforms proposed by the Local Democracy Taskforce, Cllr O’Rourke said the coming year would be one of the most significant in recent decades for local government.

“It marks an important milestone for local government,” he said. “It provides a real opportunity to strengthen local democracy, improve local decision-making and ensure communities have a stronger voice in the decisions that affect them.

“As president, I look forward to working with government, local authorities and councillors across the country to help deliver these reforms and ensure local government is equipped to meet the needs of our communities into the future.”

During his term as president, Cllr O’Rourke said AILG would continue working with government and stakeholders to strengthen the role of local government and ensure communities benefit from effective local leadership and decision-making.

Cllr O’Rourke has been a councillor since 2009, during which time he has had spells as cathaoirleach of Westmeath County Council and as mayor of Athlone. He has also served for a number of years as chairperson of the Fianna Fáil group within the AILG.