The north Dublin Fianna Fáil activist, Mr Royston Brady, was last night selected as party's candidate for Lord Mayor of the city.
Councillor Brady's election as Lord Mayor is a virtual certainty because Fianna Fáil and Labour have shared the post since the last local elections in 1999. His candidature will be put to a vote of the city council on July 7th.
He defeated the former TD, Ms Mary Mooney, by 11 votes to 9 in the poll last night of the 20 Fianna Fáil councillors on Dublin city council.
A third candidate, Ms Deirdre Heney, withdrew from the contest before the vote. She was selected uncontested as the candidate for deputy mayor.
Mr Royston Brady is a brother of Senator Cyprian Brady, a confidante of the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern. He was perceived to have the support of the Fianna Fáil leader on the council, Mr Maurice Ahern, a brother of the Taoiseach.
Aged 30, Mr Brady has been training adviser with the tourism training body CERT since December 1999.
He was first elected to the council in the North Inner City Ward in 1999 and was deputy Lord Mayor in 2000.
He will succeed councillor Dermot Lacey as Lord Mayor. Mr Lacey lost the Labour whip after defying the party in the vote on this year's estimates. The whip has not yet been returned to him.
Mayoralties in other major towns and cities will also be decided early next month. In Cork, the agreed Fine Gael candidate is councillor Colm Burke. He is expected to succeed the Labour councillor, Mr John Kelleher, who is outgoing Mayor under the terms of a rotation agreement between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour.
In Galway, a PD mayor will be elected under the terms of a pact with Fianna Fáil. In Limerick, Fianna Fáil councillor Mr Jack Bourke is expected to be elected. Mr Bourke is currently deputy mayor of the city.
