PRESS RELEASE
Limerick May 27, 2019
Following the results of the plebiscite on a directly elected mayor, #LiveableLimerick has today issued the following statement:-
Democracy is the bedrock of a progressive, inclusive and respectful society. We are delighted to see Limerick will become the first Irish county to have a democratically directly elected mayor. We are very hopeful that Cork city will take the same path.
Limerick’s renaissance must continue. Better liveability and affordability in the face of well identified 21st Century challenges and significant population growth require a single vision for the entire county. Better consultation facilitated by a directly elected mayor must become the norm to ensure that the people of the entire county of Limerick feel decisions truly reflect their desires for a better and more ambitious Limerick.
The people of Limerick have spoken. We now call on the government to legislate this reform quickly. This will reinforce that there is only one Limerick, a progressive, inclusive and diverse county with rich rural communities and ever more dynamic urban city and key towns.
We believe that a message has also been clearly sent that extra powers and budget on many other areas like transport need to be given to the mayor more quickly and we call on the Minister not to long-finger proposals to do this.
We recognise that all electoral areas of Limerick did not vote Yes to the same degree and we at #LiveableLimerick commit to engaging to understand their concerns and becoming their advocate to ensure those concerns are taken on board as the proposal is further formulated.
Many people were involved in the campaign. We want first and foremost to thank our own supporters who worked so tirelessly for this. We want also though to thank all of the others who recognised like us the importance of this issue for Limerick and rallied to the cause to do what was required to not lose the opportunity for a better Limerick.
#LiveableLimerick Committee
