Green Party TD Paul Gogarty has today admitted he would be interested in campaigning to be Dublin's first elected mayor.
Announcing a new campaign to engage with citizens about the elections, which are due to take place later this year, Mr Gogarty, the party's spokesman for Dublin, said he wanted to talk to Dubliners about how they expected the mayor to improve services in the city and county.
Asked if he had any interest in the position of Mayor, Mr Gogarty said "yes I would be interested".
He said the Green Party would hold a selection convention in July at which a candidate would be chosen to contest the elections.
The party is to new website is to go online shortly which will enable voters to tell them the issues they would like to see the mayor deal with.
"I will be running the Green Party's campaign to gather ideas and generate debate about the role of the new mayor for Dublin. We want to engage with the public and talk about the issues and the vision that the new mayor could demonstrate," said Mr Gogarty.
"The Mayor can bring huge value to the citizens of Dublin through better delivery of waste, water, transport and planning services. I believe that the Green Party has excellent policies in these areas and can offer voters a real vision for how Dublin can be run better," he added.
Under proposals from Minister for the Environment and Green Party leader John Gormley, the newly-elected mayor will have the power to direct councils and their officials to implement policy in relation to waste, planning, water and other important areas.
The mayor will also set out strategic policy across Dublin on issues such as land-use planning, housing, transport and traffic management.