New mayor ‘full of emotion’

Newly elected Mayor Francis Timmons is still “taking it all in” following last Friday’s SDCC AGM at which he was chosen as Councillor Pamela Kearns’s successor.

Mayor Timmons was elected to the position after gaining a total of 24 votes from his fellow councillors on June 26, alongside Sarah Barnes, who has taken up the Deputy Mayor position following her election.

In his acceptance speech, Mayor Timmons thanked his colleagues for their support since he was first elected councillor in 2014 as well as the volunteer groups he has worked alongside through the years.

Outgoing Mayor, Pamela Kearns, applauded Timmons on his election, saying his strong characteristics make him the perfect fit for the role.

“I got to know you as a kind, compassionate and tenacious man and you will be an absolutely terrific Mayor, I have no doubt” she said.

Following his election, Mayor Timmons reflected on his time growing up in an institution during a very different time in Ireland and compared it to his success today;

“I think back to when I was younger, when I lived in an institution, when I grew up as a gay man in a different time in Ireland, never would I have dreamed that I would be the first citizen of South Dublin County Council, it’s full of emotion.”

Mayor Timmons told The Echo there are “so many things” he wants to do over the next year and hopes to build on the good work that other Mayors have done before him.

He first highlighted the demand for greater attention to the needs of those living with a disability and promised to dedicate his term to those in need, saying:

“I want to dedicate this year to people with a disability, and I’m going to focus on how we can improve and look at opportunities to improve the quality of life for our citizens that live with a disability in South Dublin.”

He went on to say that he wishes to welcome disability activist groups to the Chambers to listen to their lived experiences and get a better understanding of what needs to be improved in the South Dublin area.

Community is number one on Mayor Timmons’s agenda, as he understands its importance having spent 36 years working in community-based roles in Clondalkin.

“Community is everything, really, and it’s been the basis of what I’ve been doing since I was 15 years of age in Clondalkin, when I was involved in setting up a youth club. It’s what I’ve spent my life doing” he said.

In his new role, he promises to take action on certain issues regarding inclusion and equality, to ensure an effort is made to provide an accepting and understanding community for all;

“We use these words like inclusion and equality, but they’ve got to mean more than just words – they’ve got to mean a better society” he said.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme