Mayor Joe Malone sets out his stall and highlights the big issues facing Kilkenny

Cllr Joe Malone (FF) has been elected as the new Mayor of Kilkenny. The election took place last Friday before a packed gallery in City Hall.

A large proportion of those gathered were there to support Cllr Malone including his wife, family members, friends and lifelong associates.

Artist Davy Holohan preparing for summer exhibition in Kilkenny

Outgoing mayor, Cllr David Fitzgerald (FG), welcomed all those in attendance, and vowed to keep the proceedings short.

In a short speech, he thanked the many people who had stood by him during his mayoralty and paid special tribute to his uncle, the late Kieran Crotty, who served five times as Mayor of Kilkenny.

Mr Crotty was present for Cllr Fitzgerald’s election as mayor last year but unfortunately passed away the following month.

Cllr Andrew McGuinness (FF) said that during Cllr Fitzgerald’s mayoralty, he represented his fellow councillors ‘with dignity, decorum and honesty and chaired meetings fairly, giving everyone a fair shot’.

The ensuing election proceedings went as expected, with no dissenting votes.

Cllr Malone was proposed to the position of mayor by Cllr Andrew McGuinness and that proposal was seconded by Cllr Martin Brett (FG).

This will be Cllr Malone’s second term as Mayor of Kilkenny, having served previously in 2015-2016.

After being bestowed his chain of office, Cllr Joe Malone took to the podium to make his speech.

He began by paying tribute and remembering those close to him and to the people of Kilkenny that have passed away in recent times.

He said that to be elected as mayor once ‘was an honour’ and thanked his fellow councillors for putting him forward to that position again.

As mayor, Malone pledged his commitment to various projects including further development of the brewery site, the new bridge at Coote’s Lane and the Butts Regeneration Project.

He cited a need for more residential buildings in the city and welcomed the many plans set out for schools in terms of their relocation and redevelopment.

Cllr Malone is also seeking a handball statue to be put in place in the city to pay tribute to all of the handballers who have represented Kilkenny with distinction over the years.

He said that Ukrainians have been integrating well into Kilkenny, adding that they are welcome here while their country remains in conflict.

The new mayor also said that he will make it a goal of his to honour and recognise the many individuals, groups and communities in Kilkenny who often go unnoticed.

Long stretches of narrow road causing vehicle stand-offs in area of Kilkenny

He stated that his faith as a practising Catholic was very important to him, so too was his background in the Defence Forces.

Malone stated that the fear of Covid-19 can still be felt by many in society, especially older and vulnerable people.

“The biggest pandemic in society today is the scourge of drugs in our community,” he said.

“Families are being intimidated out of this town through drugs. We have to say no. Our gardaí need more backup.”

Malone also called for more resources and support to be given to local mental health services to help those who are struggling, particularly young people.

The new mayor told those gathered that he’d like to see more young people, of all genders and nationalities, to get involved in local politics.

“We get a lot of abuse online,” he said. “We can only do our best and sometimes our best is not good enough but I don’t want that to be a deterrent.”

After the election of the mayor, Cllr Martin Brett (FG) was elected as the new Deputy Mayor of Kilkenny.

He was proposed by Cllr David Fitzgerald and seconded by Cllr Andrew McGuinness.

Cllr Martin Brett will be taking over the role as deputy mayor from Cllr Andrew McGuinness.