Madam, - In 2001 the Oireachtas made provision for directly elected mayors. Your readers may not know that the Government is in the process of repealing this law and perpetuating our shabby system of local government.
In 1996 councillors were given the power and the duty to decide how each community deals with its domestic and commercial waste. In 2001 this power was taken from councillors and placed in the hands of unelected city and county managers.
Since the abolition of domestic rates in 1978 the powers of councillors have been steadily eroded. Bizarrely, the power of councillors to rezone land is left untouched, despite the startling findings of corruption made by the Flood Tribunal in its interim report. (Their rezoning power shouldn't be abolished but, given the level of public disquiet, all rezonings should be subject to outside certification.)
The erosion of local democracy has reached crisis point. Every utterance of the Taoiseach on the subject indicates that Government policy is to avoid any meaningful democratic control by people of their communities. The very least the electorate deserves is the chance to vote for mayors to serve five-year terms and to be accountable to the people for local decisions on traffic, waste, night-time nuisance, etc..
Local elections are not far off. What a pity we will be voting for councillors who are virtually powerless. - Yours, etc.,
COLM MAC EOCHAIDH, Fownes Street Upper, Dublin 2.