Norma Foley to become Mayor of Kerry
OUTGOING Mayor of Tralee Norma Foley will be even busier next year as she is set to become Mayor of Kerry.
On Monday, June 25, Kerry County Council and the county’s five Municipal Districts will hold their AGMs and elect their respective Cathaoirligh.
While the outcome could change on the day, Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Labour and a number of Independents are expected to honour voting pacts agreed after the 2014 Local Elections.
Based on these pacts Cllr Foley – who is currently Mayor Tralee – is expected to be elected Cathaoirleach of Kerry County Council succeeding Fine Gael’s Cllr John Sheahan.
Tralee is the only Municipal District which officially has a Mayor – due to the town’s population being over 20,000 – and in the county capital the chain of office will pass from Cllr Foley to Labour’s Cllr Graham Spring.
In the South and West Kerry MD Fianna Fáil’s Cllr Norma Moriarty will succeed Fine Gael’s Cllr Seamus Cosaí Fitzgerald as Cathaoirleach.
The Killarney MD’s new Cathaoirleach is expected to be Cllr John Sheahan who will take over from Fianna Fáil’s Cllr Niall Kelleher.
The situation is more complicated in the Listowel MD where Fine Gael’s Liam Purtill was expected to take the chair.
The Kerryman understands he has opted not to take the position which will now likely go to either Cllr Aoife Thornton or Cllr Mike Kennelly of Fine Gael.