31 June 2003: Unanimous support last week saw FF Councillor, Pat Black, make Town Council history, when he was elected Mayor of Newbridge at the Town Council AGM.
The FF candidate was surprised when he was put in the unique position of receiving cross party support, for his nomination to Mayor, when FG Councillor Michael Nolan seconded Cllr. Black’s nomination.
Mayor Black told KNN he was 'honoured and proud that for the first time in the Council’s history a candidate from an opposition party had received such support' and said he 'looked forward to working closely with the Council members and the public in order to achieve a great many things throughout the year'.
Mayor Black said: “Newbridge is a great town with a lot to offer both as a place to work in and shop i,n” but added he wanted Newbridge to be known for more than just this, and said he wanted it to be recognised for being a wonderful community town, and therefore he wanted to dedicate his year as Mayor to working closely with voluntary organisations and residents associations to achieve this.
However, there was some disgruntlement on the night when the Council voted on the Vice Chairperson. The Council, which is usually made up of five FF party representatives, two FG representatives and two Labour representatives was put to a tie, when a FF member had to leave before the vote was cast.
Four FF candidates voted for Councillor John O’Neil, and four Councillors from Labour and FG voted for Cllr. Michael Nolan. However, after much debate, it was Cllr. John O’Neil from FF who was finally declared Vice-Chairperson.
