Search Results for 'Joe Mellett'

There was high drama in Castlebar as night was turning into day when the fourth count of the Swinford area pulled Joe Mellett, the Cathaoirleach of the last term of the previous council, back from the death. From early in the afternoon when the first tallies were done it was looking like Mellett was going to lose out to Fianna Fáil's first time candidate Michael Smyth.

Today will be a proud day for the Cllr John Cribben and his family when he takes the chain as Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council for the next 12 months. Cllr Cribben will take over as Cathaoirleach from Cllr Joe Mellett at the Mayo County Council’s AGM. Speaking to the Mayo Advertiser yesterday, Cribben said. “It’ll be a proud day for me, my family, and my supporters who have elected me to the council. I look forward to the year serving the people of Mayo to the best of my abilities locally, nationally and internationally.”

Before Cllr Joe Mellett had even handed over the Cathaoirleach’s chain to incoming Cathaoirleach for the next 12 months, Cllr John Cribben, independent Castlebar based Cllr Frank Durcan fired his first warning shot across the bows of the new council. Cllr Durcan told the meeting, “In the interests of transparency and accountability, I would call that the salaries of the Cathaoirleach, the leas Cathaoirleach and all the committee chairpersons be given to the general public”. Cllr Durcan’s call was seconded by fellow independent Cllr Gerry Ginty from Ballina.

The residents of Carracastle have been informed that Mayo County Council has no funds to allow Carracastle Group Water Scheme to progress, with Councillor Joe Mellett saying that this news is “not good enough” as a “proper water scheme which in conjunction with a new sewerage scheme is essential for the development of the village”.

“Law and order is on the verge of breaking down in the county,” according to Swinford councillor Joe Mellett, while Belmullet councillor Gerry Coyle said that “thugs should be put behind bars”. These were just some of the indignant comments made by councillors at Monday afternoon’s county council meeting after a motion was put forward by Fine Gael councillor Michael Burke for the council to call on the Minister for Justice to provide more gardaí in Mayo, to fight the ongoing crime and anti social behaviour.

Underage drinking and the anti-social behaviour attached to it is a direct result of under-cost selling of alcohol in supermarkets.

A Mayo county councillor has called on the judicial system to review its practice of approving free legal aid to drug dealers, often caught with drugs to the value of €10,000 and over.

A proposal to introduce bye-laws to prevent drinking in public places is no longer necessary, as Gardaí have been given increased powers to stop this anti-social behaviour.

There were eight knife crimes in Mayo over the months of July and August and one serious crime where an axe was brandished. Two people died, a garda was seriously injured in the line of duty, others narrowly defied death, and many families have been severely traumatised as a result of the thuggery. The incidents have left gardaí in Mayo ‘dumbfounded’. Superintendent Willie Keavney said “such a serious litany of incidents” was unprecedented, and was frightening not only for the gardaí but for the general public. He said the practice of young people going out at night with knives had to be looked at. “We are dumbfounded as to what to do,” Supt Keaveney told Monday’s meeting of the joint policing committee. “We don’t want to turn every fellow upside down looking for knives,” he added.

In a discussion surrounding Mayo County Council’s corporate plan, which spans a five year period from 2010 to 2014, Fine Gael councillor Peter Flynn suggested that the council should increase its range of services, due to the scaling back of other government agencies, with Mayo County Council taking on these additional services so everything is dealt with “under one umbrella”.