Ms Beverly Cooper-Flynn TD has been elected chairwoman of the Western Health Board. As a new member, Ms Cooper-Flynn attended her first meeting of the board at Merlin Park Hospital, Galway, yesterday and was elected chairwoman without a contest.
The Mayo county councillor, who was appointed as a council member of the health board following her poll-topping performance at the recent local elections, is the first woman to be elected chairperson of the board and, at 32, is also the youngest.
It is believed that Ms Cooper-Flynn was selected for nomination by Fianna Fail after a heated party meeting in Galway immediately before the event resulted in her name being drawn from a hat, ahead of that of her Mayo colleague, Councillor Brian Golden The outgoing chairman of the board, Mayo county councillor Pat Kilbane of Fine Gael, was reappointed as a member of the board.
The position of vice-chairman, which was contested by both FF and FG, was won for the second year running by the Roscommon FF councillor, Mr Des Bruen. ail.
Beverley Cooper-Flynn was returned as one of 16 Mayo councillors who helped the party to obtain a majority in the local authority in the recent elections.
Speaking after yesterday's meeting, Councillor Kilbane said it was unprecedented that a person who had never before been a member of the board could "just walk in the door and get the position of chair".
He added that a tradition of sharing committee appointments with both party affiliations on the board had been broken for the first time, with FF taking all positions.
Councillor John Flannery of Fine Gael also objected strongly as ongoing nominations of health board members to various committees were subsequently filled entirely by Fianna Fail appointees.