The entertaining rowing in the two main parties in Britain in recent months over nominations for Lord Mayor of London - Frank Dobson or Ken Livingstone and Lord Archer or Steve Norris - may be only a couple of years away here. Whether or not we will find it all so amusing then is another matter.
The Minister for the Environment, Noel Dempsey, is due to publish his Local Government Bill next week and one of its provisions is that mayors - and that includes two lord mayors (Dublin and Cork), three senior mayors (Limerick, Waterford and Galway) and the chairs of 29 county and city councils - will be elected by the public from 2004 rather than by their peers. As if this proposal isn't bad enough, some 80 councillors who are also deputies and 34 who are senators will be banned from holding the dual mandate.
Dempsey is in for a rough ride, not least within his own party, but there is speculation that he will give deputies access to council papers and such-like to soften the blow of being barred from local politics. There is also talk that the Oireachtas ethics codes will be extended to councillors. Nonetheless, says Councillor/Senator Joe Costello, the General Council of County Councils is seeking a meeting with Seanad leaders to put the case against directly elected mayors.
All these matters, which admittedly are mainly designed to modernise the 100-year-old local government law and move the balance of power away from unelected officials, were discussed animatedly at last month's meeting of the General Council in Monaghan. The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mary Freehill, spoke in favour of directly elected mayors, and Sean Doyle, chairman of Wexford Co Council, spoke against. Observers say the house was 80/20 with Doyle, citing the complexity of local government for an inexperienced mayor; celebrity or oneissue candidates; and the dangers of a five-year mandate. Liam Kenny, director of the General Council, said it was all so new it was unnerving for councillors.
One councillor told Quidnunc that if direct elections come in now, every head-theball in the country could be elected, because of the present perception of politicians. The election, he said, would become one of personality rather than policy and mayhem would ensue. Well, look at London, he says.