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Former Lord Mayor defends Fatima position

Thursday, 11 March 2010

A FORMER Lord Mayor of Dublin has strongly defended her proposed selection as chairperson to oversee the ongoing regeneration of the Fatima Mansions area. A proposal by Dublin City Council to appoint Eibhlin Byrne to the role of chairperson of the new F2 Centre and Enterprise Management Board Ltd – that will oversee the massive project – was described by a political rival as “questionable”. Cllr Clare Byrne (FG) queried Ms Byrne's appointment to the position and, in particular, her role as an independent expert after she was also identified as a potential candidate for the newly created post of directly elected Mayor of Dublin. Environment Minister John Gormley (GP) announced recently that elections for the Lord Mayor position would be held before the end of the year. Cllr Clare Byrne said that a payment of e10,000 which comes with the position of head of the regeneration board was “inappropriate” when communities were starved of funding. “In the past, independent chairpersons have worked on the Fatima Regeneration Board and St Michael's Regeneration Board without remuneration,” Cllr Byrne said. “Therefore the new payment of e10,000 undoubtedly raises questions.. “I believe that the position of chair of such boards should be regarded as a privilege and not come with a price tag attached. “I would also question Ms Byrne's appointment to this position and, in particular, her role as an independent expert as she has been clearly identified in the media as a potential candidate for the new Mayor of Dublin.” However, in a strong defence of her position on the matter, the former Lord Mayor - who unsuccessfully ran for Fianna Fail in the 2009 European Parliament elections - told Southside People she believed her previous track record at local level meant she was qualified for the role. In addition, she added that she did not think party politics played a part in the city council's decision to propose her for the job. “I can confirm that some weeks ago I received a call from Dublin City Council asking me to consider the position of chair of Fatima regeneration,” Ms Byrne said. “This appointment is being made in line with other appointments. They are not political appointments and while of course councillors should be consulted, their objections should be on the basis of my lack of qualifications rather than my political affiliations. “I have proven myself on the National Council of Ageing and Older People, among other committees, and indeed pride myself on my capacity to rise above politics,” she added. “I have a masters in equality studies and work in children and family services. I am perfectly happy to present my candidature at any open forum. But what I most certainly do not want to do is to subject this or any regeneration board to a divisive and damaging debate which does nothing to improve the lot of the people who really matter and who I am happy to serve under any guise.” Meanwhile, People Before Profit councillor Bríd Smith, who represents the Ballyfermot area, has announced that she will contest the election for the Mayor of Dublin. She said she would continue to campaign against water charges and incineration for the Dublin region. She will also advocate the creation of a scheme with directly employed labour to carry out public works on local authority infrastructure such as housing, waste and water. “I will actively seek the support of local community activists and trade unionists for this campaign to transform Dublin into a vibrant city that is focused on its people and services that are publicly provided,” she said.