20 years on from his first election victory, Tom MacSharry is keener than ever to help his local community

TOM MacSharry is no less interested in helping people now than when he first became a councillor 20 years ago - in 2004.

In those two decades MacSharry, a wellknown and highly respected councillor who wears his ‘Sligo’ badge proudly on his sleeve, says he has always taken the same approach “talk to the people, give them your time, make sure your door is always open and as important as talking to people is, listening to them is more important.”

He adds: “I want to see Sligo town and county grow, I love dealing with people, talking to them and helping them where I can, that has never dimmed, if anything that desire has grown. I consider it a huge honour to be able to represent people from the Sligo and Strandhill areas and Sligo in general on Sligo County Council.”

Having served three terms as Mayor of Sligo, he stresses that he has learned much since he first was elected to the Borough Council and confides that every day is still a learning day. “What is different for me now is that I have the experience of 20 years in local politics at Council level,

“I know how it works, I know how to approach issues that people raise. Look, not for one minute am I saying I have a magic wand, but with those years on the Council comes a clearer insight into what is possible and what is not.

“Very often the relationships you have forged over the years with fellow councillors and officials can be the difference in getting something done or not done,” he says.

“I feel very honoured and privileged to have been elected as a councillor. I love the work.

“I love meeting people. I love trying to solve problems. That’s what I do as a solicitor and as a councillor and I have been fortunate to build very good relationships with the executive and the engineering/housing staff of Sligo County Council over many years. I enjoy a good relationship with them,” he says,

A well-known solicitor, the now veteran Fianna Fáil councillor feels making it easy for people to talk with him, to meet him, is vital: “I have a full-time office in the heart of Sligo which means anyone can come in at any time. I enjoy the work and I love to help people if I can, there’s no mystery to it, that’s the way I am.”

His love for Sligo is palpable and those who know him best say it defines him.

He’s emphatic on that point: “I love Sligo. I couldn’t live anywhere else.

“I feel very fortunate and very lucky that I am living in Sligo.

“I think we have it all here.”

Meeting people on the street often means that a walk in town that might normally take five minutes can take much longer as Tom enjoys meeting and chatting to people on the street.

“I love meeting people. I’m an extrovert, I enjoy the interaction and I like the banter.

“The great thing about people from Sligo is the slag, the jibe and the bit of craic.

“I love the fun and like to find that in any situation, and I like to interact in every possible way.”

EARLY START IN POLITICS

With the surname MacSharry, his interest in politics was inevitable and he got involved very quickly. “I started early in politics in terms of my involvement and interest. I first canvassed for prospective councillors and in general elections for other people before I got going myself. I was in my early 20s when I took a serious interest in politics. I was very lucky to get elected to what was Sligo Borough Council in 2004.”

He firmly believes that at local level it is important that he and fellow councillors work together. “We work hard and to the best of our ability for the betterment of our community. At local level the ‘jersey’ always comes off and we always try to sit down at local level and work together.

“Anyone who has ever monitored the Borough Council or Municipal Council meetings, what they really see is councillors, from all parties and none, working together closely and diligently for the betterment of our community.

“I don’t think the old style of adversarial politics really exists any more at local level. I think the old saying that politics is the art of compromise is accurate and I believe that to be true. There is always a compromise that can be reached if people work together.

“I think we are fortunate with the councillors that we have that we do work together, and we try to deliver to the best of our ability. We enjoy a good relationship with the executive of the local authority, and I think it is important that the executive do try to work closely with the councillors to the best of their ability as well.”

He’s convinced Sligo has not reached its full potential and he intends to keep working to help get Sligo to that point: “We have everything in Sligo. We have a beautiful county, we have a state-of-the-art university (ATU), but we need to do more to advance tourism.

“I think we are bursting here in Sligo with potential. I do think we can go a little further, particularly in terms of our tourism offering provided we get the capital investment we need.

“With the ATU we have an engineering department that is one of the best in the State, one example of some of the very positive things that are already here. We need to keep the focus on Sligo to ensure we attract more investment.”

Interestingly he also sees the need to address the east-west divide in Ireland - he feels very passionately about this. “We need to do more to counteract the ‘East Coast focus’ that exists in Ireland at the moment. We need to start pulling the business interests to the northwest and the west in general because we have the potential to compete with Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick. Sligo has the opportunity to do that and the only way we can do so is collectively.

“We need the national politicians to adhere to that agenda also.”

He has been a long-time fan of promoting ‘CityLiving’ which he feels could help tackle the dereliction and vacancy issues around Sligo town.

“In particular we need to look at what is happening in High Street. Some businesses have to be commended for setting up shop on High Street. They deserve all the support they can get.

“There is a concept called ‘City Living’ which you see when you travel abroad. In every other EU country, you have mixed use of retail and accommodation for people who either don’t need or want a car, people who may be elderly and want to live in an urban area close to the amenities a city like Sligo offers.

“When I was growing up, over every business premises in Sligo town there was a family living above the business. That day has gone, we need to get back to that, you need to give people the option to live in town.

“I think we need to look at our building regulations to make that possible. Over every shop in Sligo town there is, in most if not all cases, a vacant living space. Mixed use of commercial, retail and housing are pretty standard in other EU states, but not here, we need to look at that scenario here and make it possible in Sligo town,” he said.

With Sligo County Council deep in discussions this week about the next County Development Plan, Cllr MacSharry has some very specific thoughts on what needs to change in the next plan. “I think it is unfair that the local authority can decide to rezone somebody’s property and not put them on notice directly. The owner might be lucky enough to hear about a rezoning by chance, perhaps a public meeting or whatever. I think that it is inherently wrong and very unfair that the local authority can rezone in that manner.

“If the local authority is going to rezone land, I think the least they can do is notify people and give them the opportunity to take advice in relation to making a submission. Otherwise, you have to keep an eye out for an advertisement or a local consultation, but a lot of people might miss that and that has happened. It’s not exclusive to

Sligo. It is a national issue.

“I think the local authority should be given the funding to ensure people are notified and put on notice. It’s the least they could do.

“I also feel that in a case where a building is going to be listed, the owners of that building should also be put on notice before that happens. One of the issues with dereliction is that where a building is listed it changes everything for the owner of that building. If they need as much as to change a tile, they are put to huge expense to do so.

“We all want to preserve our natural heritage, but it has to be fair, and it has to be balanced,” he said.

ISSUES ON THE DOORSTEP

Cllr MacSharry has been out on the canvas trail, knocking on doors for four weeks now. He says that while housing and emigration are the big issues locally and nationally, very often he cautions that there is only so much a local councillor can do on those issues.

“For me it is the local issues, the footpaths, traffic calming measures, road resurfacing. Housing issues such as the maintenance of local authority housing are the bread and butter of local politics, that’s what we hear from people, particularly in the urban area.”

He said a point he has made in the Council chamber that people have a right to expect decent roads and footpaths: “People pay Property Tax, they pay high Property Tax. The very least they can expect is that their roads and footpaths are well maintained. That’s what we should strive to ensure - that the funding is there, that roads are resurfaced, that footpaths are to a certain standard. That’s something I would like to see.”

One of the other issues that causes him concern is the increased incidence of flooding in Sligo town in particular: “With the inclement weather I have seen parts of Sligo flooded that I have never seen flooded in my lifetime. We need a co-ordinated approach to get the drains around the town and county sorted, but in particular within Sligo town.

“Back in the Corporation days there were two guys who went around with shovels and dug out the drains, cleared them of debris, it’s a simple thing, but we need to get back to that because doing that would alleviate some of the more serious flooding issues around the town.”

ON THE CANVAS TRAIL

Cllr MacSharry has his own unique style on the canvas trail. He tries to get to every door in his area and for that reason he started his canvas earlier than most: “This is my fourth week out on the canvas trail. My style is slow and personal and maybe just one person with me at the door.

“I like to take my time to engage with people. I like to listen to the issues, spend time with people and get a sense of what the issues are in each area and that determines my agenda for the next term.

“I think you need to be close to the people, you need to be among the people, you need to listen to the people. That’s the only way you will pick up the issues.

“A small, more intimate canvas with people is my style. I like to give people my time and take time to listen to them whatever their reaction, be it good, bad or indifferent. I like to knock on every door and that is my intention, that’s why I started early. If possible, I try to get to every doorstep.”

While he has a strong vote in the town of Sligo, Cllr MacSharry has been very active in other parts of the municipal district and has been an outspoken advocate for retaining shorefront parking spaces in Strandhill.

“I believe I am the only councillor who has been steadfast against any removal of existing parking spaces at the shorefront in Strandhill. I will fight hard to ensure that doesn’t happen.

“I will be resisting the proposal that was on the table to remove all shorefront parking spaces, I will be resisting that very, very strongly.

“I think it would destroy everything that is good about the shorefront in Strandhill, especially for elderly people,” he says.

Cllr MacSharry explains why he feels so passionately about this. “It has been a long-standing tradition that people will drive out, enjoy looking out at the sea and perhaps go for a coffee, have a cup of tea, read the paper and any attempt to withdraw that has to be resisted strongly by everybody.

“I’m in the minority in terms of elected representatives in that regard but I have been firm from the outset that I will strongly resist any attempt to remove the parking spaces.”

COASTAL EROSION CONCERNS

In relation to the coastal erosion issue in Strandhill he has worked for a long time with the business community and with many others who live in the area.

He says it is shocking how quickly the coastline is starting to disappear.

“I was a big advocate of the use of rock armour at a very early stage. I tabled several motions calling for rock armour to be put in place to protect the Strandhill coastline as I think that is the appropriate way to go.

“There was a coastal erosion survey done and following on from that action is needed, Sligo County Council need to up their game on this one.

“Other councils such as Clare County Council seem to be a little ahead of Sligo County Council on this issue.

“We can get all the reports in the world but that won’t stop the inevitable disappearance of our coastline in Strandhill.

“Rock armour is not the only solution, but it is, I believe, the solution we should opt for, and it needs to happen now. The business community and the local residents are concerned and need action,” he says.

As the 2024 local election date looms large, expect to see Tom MacSharry at a door near you if you live in the Sligo-Strandhill local electoral area.

He takes his time and enjoys talking to people, whether they are likely to vote for him or not, he has a passion for using his time to do his best for Sligo and says, if elected in June, he will use his experience as a councillor and his undeniable communication skills and easy manner to ensure local voices are heard and that local voices and views are aired to the full in Sligo County Council.