In his inaugural address last night, the newly elected Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Dermot Lacey of Labour, expressed dismay at the rising level of homeless in the city. He also criticised RTÉ's coverage of the capital for being inadequate.
Other mayors elected yesterday were Fianna Fáil councillor Mr John Cronin, as Mayor of Limerick, and Fianna Fáil councillor and former Gaelic footballer Mr Tommy Cummins, as Mayor of Sligo.
At a meeting of Dublin City Council at City Hall, Mr Lacey was elected under a voting pact with Fianna Fáil. He received 32 votes, defeating Fine Gael candidate Mr Ruairí McGinley, on nine votes, and Sinn Féin's Mr Larry O'Toole, with eight votes.
The new Lord Mayor called for sustained initiatives to address the growing prevalence of homelessness in the capital. He accused RTÉ of failing to adequately cover the city and urged the state broadcaster to appoint a full-time Dublin correspondent. He promised to strengthen ties with local representatives in the North and to embark on an anti-litter programme.
A native of Ringsend, Mr Lacey lives in Donnybrook and was seconded onto the city council in 1993. He has represented Pembroke ward since 1999. He has also served on the Dublin Docklands Development Authority and as Labour party youth officer.
He will be among the last Lord Mayors to be appointed by the city council. From 2004, mayors will be directly elected by voters.
He succeeds Cllr Anthony Creevey, who assumed the office on June 10 when the then Lord Mayor Mr Michael Mulcahy was elected to the Dáil.
In a separate vote, Cllr Brendan Carr of Labour was appointed Deputy Lord Mayor, defeating Independent Cllr Vincent Jackson.
In Limerick, the new Mayor, Mr Cronin, received 10 votes, defeating Fine Gael's Mr Diarmuid Scully (four) and Independent Mr John Gilligan (three).
In Sligo, Mr Cummins received five votes, one ahead of Fine Gael's Mr Matt Lyons. The three Sinn Féin members abstained in the last of three votes as a protest at the privatisation of refuse collection.