Cllr Martin Baker is new First Citizen
RIVERSTOWN businessman Fianna Fáil’s Martin Baker has been unanimously elected as Sligo’s first citizen.
Warm tributes were paid by all members as the popular county councillor was elected Cathaoirleach at the Council AGM on Monday.
Cllr Baker will put tourism and rural Sligo top of his agenda for the coming year, as well as housing grants for older people and people with disabilities. “I’ll do my utmost to work with ye all very fairly and from the bottom of my heart I thank you,” he said.
“YOU don’t count Martin Baker’s votes. You weigh them.” Such was the accolade from Councillor Chris MacManus to the new first citizen of Sligo, Fianna Fáil Councillor Martin Baker from Riverstown.
He was proposed as new Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council by party colleague Councillor Jerry Lundy and seconded by Councillor Paul Taylor, who himself was elected Leas- Cathaoirleach of the Council.
Cllr Baker faced no opposition and was unanimously elected.
In his gracious acceptance speech, Cllr Baker said it was a “huge honour” for him and his wife Josephine and five children, Brendan, Fiona, Jonathan, Conor and Daniel.
The butcher/grocer is putting rural Sligo firmly on top of his priority list of issues in the coming year.
“We had a good economic report recently and new jobs coming - I want that spread out into the regions and the south of the county,” he told a packed chamber in the Council headquarters at Riverside.
“Tourism has huge potential,” he said, pointing to the new trails launched in Keash and Ballygawley.
“We have a very colourful and beautiful county. By us working hard in the regions we’ ll give tourists value for money,” he said.
The new Cathaoirleach also nodded to the money coming on stream for the N4 but said “we also have to think of rural roads.”
He said he would be trying to get funding to bring them “up to a respectable state” - “I’ ll definitely be pushing for that,” he said.
Housing was another issue Cllr Baker hopes to make progress on for rural Sligo.
“People want to live from Collooney back in to town. We have derelict housing in rural areas. We’ve great services and creches out here.
“If we’re desperate enough to get a house, we should be willing to go where there’s a house ready,” he said.
He said people could be waiting up to seven years for a house in Sligo town while they might get a Local Authority house within 12 months in rural Sligo.
Grants for older people and people with disabilities are also high on Cllr Baker’s wish list: “We have to find more money somewhere. This scheme keeps older people in their own homes,” he said.
Supporters and family members from Riverstown, as well as TDs Eamon Scanlon and Marc MacSharry and former Councillors Tommy Deignan and Sean MacManus were present. Cllr Baker takes over from Cllr Seamus Kilgannon.