12/06/2012 -

Cllr David Cawley Elected Mayor of Sligo

Councillor David Cawleyis the new Mayor of Sligo following Sligo Borough Council’s AGM on Monday 25thJune.  Councillor Cawley was proposed byCouncillor  Matt Lyons, and seconded byCouncillor Rosaleen O'Grady. Councillor Matt Lyons was elected Deputy Mayor.

In his address, Mayor Cawley said ‘I feel extremely privileged to stand here in front of my family, friends and my supporters, on being elected to the office of Mayor. I am proud and honoured to hold the position of First Citizen in my own home town.’ 

Sligo400

‘I am assuming the office of Mayor in the midst of our ‘Sligo 400’ celebrations, and I believe this is an excellent opportunity to reflect on the history of our local Council, but also to consider how we can review and refine local government systems to better serve the general public. One of the highlights of the ‘Sligo 400’ celebrations will be the ‘Sligo Summer Festival’ on the weekend of 11th August, this will be an exciting and colourful celebration of Sligo, and for me it copperfastens our reputation as one of the country’s finest festival venues.’

Parks and amenities

As Chair of the Sligo Regional Sports Centre, I see first hand evidence of the vital importance of our sporting and recreational infrastructure and amenities. When you see the scale and quality of our  Parks, landscaping and amenity programme in recent years, you get a sense of what this Council can achieve when it invests in our local communities. Taking the Cleveragh area as one example, the development of the football pitches, fitness and activity trail and exercise stations, I think this reflects great credit on the elected members and staff for overseeing this excellent programme, a programme  which will continue over the next year.

Community Spirit

Another, and in my view very significant, source of pride is the spirit of our local residents, community and voluntary groups. As a Director of the Model and Hawkswell, I can see this energy and spirit in  the area of arts and culture. But it is equally prevalent in the area of sports, community, music, environment, heritage and countless other local activities, and long may it be so. 

Team-work

I’m a great believer in team work, and I recognise the many strengths and huge experience of my colleagues.   I know that, not withstanding our varying political views, all of the elected members of Sligo Borough Council are united in one objective - the greater good of Sligo. 

As Mayor, I will work with the elected members and Borough officials, to advance our vision for Sligo in these challenging times to ensure that Sligo develops to it’s full potential as the Gateway City of the North West. 

In conclusion. I again want to thank my fellow Councillors for their contributions over the past years and I look forward to working with you again, especially over the next 12 months to benefit the citizens of Sligo.

- Mayor Councillor David Cawley with Deputy Mayor Councillor Matt Lyons and Tony McLoughlin, TD

- Mayor David Cawley with elected members and officials following Sligo Borough Council AGM