Councillor believes Mayo’s next County Manager will be ‘compromised’ if he has worked in or is a native of the county
Debate starts on next County Manager
After Des Mahon’s announcement last week that he is to retire, Áine Ryan gauged opinion among councillors as to who is likely to be his successor in the hot seat at Aras an Chontae 
Áine Ryan MAYO’S next County Manager will be immediately ‘compromised’ if he is a native of the county or has already worked on the local authority.
That’s the view of outspoken Independent Cllr Frank Durcan who yesterday told The Mayo News that if he had to choose a manager from inside the fold it would categorically be Castelbar’s Town Manager, Seamus Granahan.
That was not the view of longtime Westport county councillor Margaret Adams though. Responding to the news of Des Mahon’s announcement of his pending retirement at the end of the month, she urged that the appointment would be from inside the county and nailed her colours to the mast revealing that Peter Hynes, Westport’s Town Manager, was her favourite.
Both Mr Hynes and Granahan have been widely tipped as possible successors to Des Mahon, along with Paddy Mahon, Ballina’s Town Manager; all three men are also Directors of Services for Mayo County Council.
In a surprise unexpected move, Des Mahon, who has been County Manager since 1990, announced his intention to retire at the end of November at a Special Policy Committee meeting last week. He was unavailable for comment yesterday.
Wishing him well on his retirement, Cllr Margaret Adams observed that during his 20-year tenure ‘at the helm in Mayo he had seen a lot of changes and progress in the county’.
“He always had the interests of the county at heart. He had particular sympathy for rural communities and the offshore islands. He was a good friend of the arts and was very committed to the development of the Custom House Studios and the Jackie Clarke Library,” Cllr Adams said.
When asked by The Mayo News who she felt may be the successful next incumbent, Cllr Adams said ‘it will be a hard act to follow’.
“Personally I would like to see the appointment come from inside the county as they would then have seen the standard they need to achieve,” said Cllr Adams.
“My choice would be Peter Hynes as he is somebody who is sympathetic to the arts and to rural communities, for which Des Mahon was known,” Cllr Adams continued.
Meanwhile Independent Cllr Frank Durcan told The Mayo News he hoped the successful candidate would come from outside the county and have not worked with the local authority previously. He stressed the importance of the fact that the appointment will be ‘wide open’ and made under the Public Appointment Service.
“I would prefer if it was an outside and impartial appointment. Someone with no connection to the county. It would be better if it wasn’t a Mayo person because they are compromised from the outset,” said Cllr Durcan.
When asked if he had a preferred candidate among the obvious possible contenders, Cllr Durcan categorically chose Mr Seamus Granahan, Castlebar’s Town Manager and a Director of Services.
“Granahan would be far ahead of any of the others. He has commonsense, a good public relations image and he’s approachable,” Cllr Durcan said.
Responding to the news, Fine Gael’s Cllr Michelle Mulherin criticised the amount of power held by local authority managers and stressed it was time for a woman to be appointed to the role.
“There is way too much power in the hands of managers. Councillors have a democratic mandate from the people but that has been taken that from them. Better Local Government heralded more self-determination for local authorities but instead local powers are contracting,” said Cllr Mulherin. As proof, she cited the latest restrictions under the new Planning and Development Amendment Bill 2009.
Regarding the obvious frontrunners for the positions, she said: “In all fairness they are all very capable and competent. But it would be great to have a female manager from outside the county.”
Legacy
PRAISING Des Mahon’s rich legacy, the Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr John Cribben said last week that ‘history will be very kind’ to him and ‘what he has done for Mayo’.
“In every community and town in Mayo there are monuments to the development that the county has seen under his guidance,” Cllr Cribben said. “Whoever follows in his footsteps will have big shoes to fill. Even though he was a proud Roscommon man he always had the best interests of Mayo at heart.”
Des Mahon presided over four different councils (1991, 1999, 2004 and 2009) and was the last manager in the county to be appointed under the old ‘manager for life’ scheme of appointment.
In 1990, he succeeded Paddy Fahy, who had been appointed interim manager in October 1989, after the untimely death of Michael O’Malley, the office holder from 1976.
During his two-decade tenure the Roscommon native has overseen the development of many major projects in Mayo. They include the ongoing development at Ireland West Airport Knock (IWAK), the Corrib Gas project and the opening of the National Museum of Ireland: Country Life at Turlough Park.
Mr Mahon also played a leading role in the celebration of Mayo’s 5000th birthday, which centred on the Neolithic farm settlement developed by Dr Seamus Caulfield at the Céide Field’s. Coincidentally, this week the Céide Fields is among a prestigious shortlist of new recommendations to be designated as World Heritage Sites.
Subsequent to the great success of the Mayo 5000 celebrations, Des Mahon was instrumental is establishing the board of Mayo Naturally, which worked side-by-side with Fáilte Ireland and other agencies in promoting tourism in Mayo. He was also a huge supporter of the Tidy Towns Competition and the arts.
Des Mahon was also strongly committed to supporting the many local and rural communities throughout the county, as well as the offshore islands.
Appointment process DES Mahon’s replacement will be appointed under the remit of the Public Appointment Service, which is an independent commission. It facilitates the appointment of top level government and state agency officials, such as the Secretary Generals of government departments.
Usual protocol entails that a temporary manager is appointed by the Minister for the Environment, in this government, John Gormley. This interim manager may well be a candidate for the position but is not guaranteed appointment.
