Directly elected mayor will be ‘uncharted territory’ for Limerick

The country’s first ever directly elected mayor will be given strong powers to influence transport, policing and job creation, according to a new report

The government has committed to allowing voters in Limerick city and county to choose their own mayor in an election next autumn, after they became the first county to vote for this in a plebiscite in 2019. Picture: Rollingnews.ie

The success of directly elected mayors in British and US cities has driven the current proposal to have one for Limerick. Mayors in international hotspots including Manchester, London, Boston and New York have become the influential “face of their city” at home and abroad.

This week Peter Burke, the Minister of State for Local Government, got cabinet approval for a bill to provide the necessary powers to a directly elected Limerick mayor.

The country’s first ...