NAAS, 22 July 2002: by Brian Byrne. Mayor Mike Fahey and three of Omaha’s seven councilmen who are coming to Naas for the return twinning charter signing will be travelling without any funding from the city’s council, according to the Omaha World Herald, the city's newspaper.
The Democrat mayor is travelling with members of his family and is paying his costs completely out his own pocket, while the three Republican councilmen are essentially doing likewise, apart from using some campaign funds to pay their air fare because a London leg of their visit involves a ‘political panel’ event in the British House of Commons with Irish and British politicians, making the trip ‘quasi’ city business.
The four will probably also be working their spare time on Omaha city business, as the trip is in the middle of the negotiations for the city’s budget for next year. One of the councilmen said they’d be ‘lugging their budget books’ on board the plane to Dublin.
The visit to Naas is being organised by the Omaha Sister Cities Association and the local branch of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, following contacts by Cllr Conway last year. More than 60 Omahans will be taking part in the trip from Aug 2, with a number of them being put up in local homes. During their visit they’ll be signing the charter in Naas Town Hall, and plans are in place to bring them to Newbridge dog track, Naas Races, Peatland World in Lullymore and to the National Stud.
The visit does not involve the Naas Twinning Committee, says committee chairman Cllr Pat O’Reilly (left), as the original twinning events did not include the committee in their preparation or implementation. So all arrangements for accommodation, entertainment and visits are being undertaken by individual councillors.
Then Naas mayor Willie Callaghan and current mayor Timmy Conway were part of a Naas delegation which signed the first ‘leg’ of the charter in Omaha during the St Patrick’s Weekend, leading a group that included Cllr Seamie Moore and town clerk Declan Kirrane as well as a number of individuals and representatives of cultural groups.
