DUBLIN: Labour councillor Alison Gilliland has been elected as the new Lord Mayor of Dublin. Cllr Gilliland took over as Lord Mayor of Dublin from the Green Party’s Hazel Chu, becoming the 353rd Lord Mayor of Dublin and only the 10th woman to hold the position.
Following the 2019 local elections, the four parties reached an agreement to share power in Dublin City Council until the next election in 2024. The Labor councilor was elected unopposed. The main opposition parties, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin, as well as Independents, voiced their support for the Labour councilor.
Cllr Gilliland, who is originally from Ballybay in County Monaghan, has stated that the key themes she will be focusing on during her tenure are community, housing, and gender. She joined the Labour Party in 2009 and was elected to the council in 2014.
Speaking after her election as Lord Mayor, Gilliland thanked her fellow councillors for their support and paid tribute to the outgoing mayor, Hazel Chu, and the outgoing Deputy Lord Mayor, Social Democrat Mary Callaghan.
Meanwhile, Cllr Chu, who said goodbye to the Mansion House yesterday, commented on the unprecedented year she spent as Lord Mayor. “It’s been a hell of a year folks. It’s been really difficult, it’s been really challenging and we had so many losses of lives, of jobs, of homes,” she said.
Ms. Chu said that being lord mayor has been an honour and privilege, and she thanked the councillors and staff, as well as her family. Councillors of all parties praised Cllr Chu for her efforts as Lord Mayor.
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