Address by Cllr. Jerry Mullaly on election as Mayor of Mallow
Issued : Monday 12 June, 2006
First of all I would like to thank the members of this council for electing me to this very important position as Mayor of Mallow. I feel honoured and humbled to accept the position as first citizen of Mallow and I hope that I shall fulfil the duties of this important office with dignity and decorum.
Being a Mallow man born and bred I know the town and it's people intimately and I look forward to working closely with them and their representative associations.
At this present time the town of Mallow is undergoing a period of rapid change, with its population expected to grow to 30,000 over the next 10 - 15 years. This will involve great opportunity for Mallow and it's people but also great challenges. Critical to successfully meeting these challenges will be the Council in conjunction with all social and economic partners of the town working harmoniously together. I would see the office of Mayor as being central to driving this process forward.
With regard to the employment situation, there is no doubt but that the closure of Mallow Sugar factory coming on top of Nestle and Dairy gold rationalisation was a bombshell to the workers growers and the whole Mallow community. The loss of these secure and sustainable jobs will have repercussions not just now but for the longer term ahead for job seekers in this area. I as Mayor want to give every support and encouragement to those workers and their families as they face into an uncertain future. In this regard I want to give full support to Rapid, Avondhu and the area implementation team. I also want to work with Cork County Council, Mallow Development Partnership, Chamber of Commerce and others in looking to the future both in the short term and in the longer term
As Mayor, my number one priority will be to ensure that this town, which has a very large house waiting list, is tackled with vigour and determination. Another priority of mine will be to ensure that Mallow presses forward with a focused response to our litter problem, thus enabling the town to improve it's position on the National Tidy Towns league table. I believe the task force on town enhancement issues that has just been established by the outgoing Mayor will be the vehicle that will drive this process forward. I also intend working closely with the Town Management and members of this council in drawing up a plan for the re-furbishment of our Town Hall, in order that it may better serve the town and it's people.
I would like to congratulate the outgoing Mayor Cllr Dempsey and his deputy Cllr O' Connor for holding this office in such a diligent manner and I hope to attain the high standards set by them.
In conclusion I would like to thank my wife Geraldine and family for all their support over the years.
Looking forward to working with you all
Thank You.
Cllr 
