Lettie accepts role of Cathaoirleach
Issued : Tuesday 15 June, 2010
Being elected to Office is not an opportunity afforded to many, so my sincere thanks also to the electorate who once again, returned me to Office in pole position in the last Local Election.
Thank you to my Labour Party colleagues for nominating me for the position of Cathaoirleach of DLRC. My thanks also to each and every member of this Chamber. Especially to the Fine Gale Party for their overwhelming support for me to serve as first citizen of the County. I welcome this opportunity and I am looking forward to serving the entire county over the next 12 months.
Each Cathaoirleach, brings to the office their own style and personality. I wish to acknowledge the commitment and dedication of our out going Cathaoirleach, Cllr. Marie Baker. Cllr. Baker had the unenviable task of 'training in' the new Councillors last year. She showed dedication and carried her chain of office like a true professional at all times.
My thanks also to Cllr. Richard Humpheries- who served as Leas Cathaoirleach.
I will do my very best to serve the citizens of this County and continue the work started by Cllr.Baker and the other Cathaoirleachi. On such occasions as this, we remember our upbringing and the environment in which we were raised. I wish to pay tribute to my parents by upholding the principles that they ingrained in me throughout my term in office.
It was only back when my first child was born that I began to take a greater interest in the immediate environment and the world around us. I realised then the importance of having family friendly developments. I could not then and cannot now comprehend the idea of expecting 1000's of families to live in an area void of community amenities such as: playgrounds, community centres, sports and recreational facilities.
At the moment -and as we all know- our country is facing challenging times. I do not feel however that this is an excuse to lose sight of what is really important.
In 2003 it was proposed that the Stepaside Public Golf Course be zoned residential in spite of the vast development that had already taken place and the 1000's of families that were now living there.
This was one of the many reasons I got into politics and it therefore should not be a great surprise that one of my priorities during this year will be to progress both the Samuel Beckett Sports Complex in Ballyogan and the Stepaside 8 acre site - not because these are in the Glencullen-Sandyford Ward but because this is the area with the greatest need. I hope I will have the support of both members and staff to ensure these projects progress without delay.
This as an investment in the future, an investment that I believe will pay dividends from a social and economic perspective and we should not confuse price and value.
We have wonderful staff and Councillors here in DLRC all working towards the betterment of the County. Sadly, we still haven't managed to break that barrier that lies between ourselves and the citizens we are serving. I firmly believe in Local Government but in order for it to work better we need the engagement of the general public. There is an onus on all of us to accept the responsibility of ensuring that it is our Council rather than the Council. And as the political head of the Council I will make every effort to progress better communication between all of us.
I am looking forward to working in partnership with my Elected Colleagues and the Council Management and Staff.
Family welcome.
On reading my sons leaving cert English paper, I saw an old African proverb which I feel is particularly relevant to our situation
"If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together".
We have the potential to go far, quickly and as a community.
So let this be the year of the community, I look forward to working with all of you....:)
Cllr 
