Cllr John Pender, who was elected the first mayor of the Municipal District of Carlow
Pic: Michael O’Rourke
IT WAS history in the making last Wednesday afternoon when cllr John Pender was selected as the first mayor of Carlow, describing his election as “a great honour” as he enters his 30th year in local politics.
The Fianna Fáil councillor becomes the first mayor of the new Carlow Municipal District, which encompasses the towns of Carlow, Tullow, Rathvilly, Hacketstown and Clonmore, along with their hinterlands. Cllr Anne Ahern proposed cllr Pender as “the first mayor of Carlow”, adding that from the Fianna Fáil side she was “delighted to have the opportunity”.
The proposal was seconded by cllr Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, who stated that cllr Pender had given “great service to the people of Carlow and Tullow” and, as “father of the Fianna Fáil group”, she believed he would make an excellent mayor. “He’s at everything; he misses nothing,” she laughed.
With no-one opposing cllr Pender, he was elected unanimously by a show of hands among all ten members of the municipal area.
Cllr Pender thanked his fellow councillors, expressing his honour in assuming the role of mayor, admitting poignantly that it was “quite an emotional moment”.
“My election is honouring the wishes of the Carlow electorate and I want to assure them that in me they will have a mayor for all the Carlow municipal area – the former Carlow town east and west areas, Carlow Town Council and the former Tullow area,” he said.
Cllr Pender welcomed the new councillors, Fintan Phelan and Brian O’Donoghue, “people that weren’t even born when I was first elected,” he joked. He also thanked Carlow municipal district area manager Bernie O’Brien, senior executive officer Eamonn Brophy and senior area engineer Pat Harrington – the new team for the district.
Cllr Walter Lacey offered his congratulations, adding: “It is obvious how much this means to you”.
Cllr John Cassin remarked that “30 years is a long time to be out in the cold”, and he, too, knew how much this meant to cllr Pender.
Cllr Brian O’Donoghue agreed with cllr Murnane O’Connor. “You are everywhere – Rathvilly, Tullow, Carlow, twenty-firsts, sixtieths, funerals or even a bad bend in Tobinstown – you always seem to be there, and that is admirable,” he smiled.
Cllr Fergal Browne remarked that he knew cllr Pender a long time and wished him well in “an exciting time” for local government.
“I would like to add my good wishes. I know you a long time, too; you have 30 years, I’m entering my third week,” smiled cllr Jim Deane.
Cllr Fintan Phelan stated that from talking to cllr Pender he had already seen his “great knowledge on the structures of the council”. He complimented cllr Pender on his “fantastic achievements” in politics over 30 years.
“No-one is more delighted than I am that you have been elected mayor and you can count on my support,” said cllr William Paton. “We couldn’t have a better first mayor,” he said, adding that over his 15 years working with cllr Pender he had seen that whenever a decision was to be made “whatever Johnny was doing, that was the right side of the debate”.
Cllr Paton also remarked that “behind every good man there’s a good woman” and complimented cllr Pender’s wife Mary.
Cllr Jennifer Murnane was then unanimously elected deputy mayor, with many describing her as “an excellent councillor who has served the people of Carlow and Graiguecullen well over 15 years”.
