Long-serving Independent politician Brendan Cronin is set to be re-elected Mayor of Killarney.
At the annual general meeting of the municipal district next Monday, it will expected to be announced that the chain of office will be shared between Cllr Cronin and outgoing mayor Cllr Niall Kelleher (FF) in the year ahead, with both holding the position for six-month terms.
It is part of a solid voting pact that has been in place since the last local elections involving Cllrs Cronin, Kelleher, Cllr Marie Moloney and now retired councillor Michael Gleeson whose nephew, Cllr John O’Donoghue was co-opted in his place.
Cllrs Maura Healy-Rae, Niall O’Callaghan and Donal Grady were not included in the pact and Cllr Grady – who has now retired – will be succeeded by his son, Martin, who is due to be co-opted at Monday’s annual general meeting.
Cllr Cronin previously held the position of mayor in 2020 and in 2016.
A farmer from Ballyhar, he followed his late father, PJ Cronin, into local politics and he has represented the Killarney Electoral Area on Kerry County Council since 1999.
Meanwhile, veteran Fine Gael councillor Jim Finucane will be elected Mayor of Kerry on Monday.
He will succeed Cllr John Francis Flynn of Fianna Fail in keeping with another long-standing voting pact between the two parties and Labour.
Cllr Johnnie Wall has already been elected Mayor of Tralee – for the seventh time – in succession to his Fianna Fail party colleague Cllr Mikey Sheehy.
Cllr Norma Moriarty (FG) is expected to be elected to the top position in the Kenmare Municipal District, Cllr Bobby O’Connell (FG) will fill the Castleisland-Corca Dhuibhne hotseat and Cllr Jimmy Moloney (FF) is expected to be elected Mayor of Listowel.
All of the mayoral elections, with the exception of the Tralee Municipal District which has already taken place, will be held at county buildings on Monday and it is seen asan opportune time for councillors to take up the high-profile positions with the local elections less than 12 months away,
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