Tributes paid to staff members on the move
The Ballina Civic Offices at Arran Place, Ballina
Two experienced staff members who worked in the Ballina Municipal District have been wished well upon their departure to different offices within Mayo County Council.
Administrative officer Carmel Murphy and area engineer Robbie Maguire were both thanked for their service to the Ballina MD at last week’s area meeting.
Ms Murphy worked directly with local councillors in both the Town Council and the Municipal District and has moved to the Swinford offices of the local authority while Mr Maguire has moved to the offices in his native Westport.
Cllr Jarlath Munnelly was among the elected representatives to pay tribute to the roles they played in the last number of years.
“Carmel was a stalwart of the MD for many years now and Robbie was always a key part of the team here,” he said.
They have been replaced in their respective roles by Anna O’Connor and Emmet O’Donnell and were welcomed by councillors. Ms O’Connor, who previously worked in the Tourism section, said she was delighted to be working in Ballina.
“We have established a good working relationship in the past and I’m looking forward to being part of a good team,” she said.
Mr O’Donnell said his predecessor left behind a huge legacy in Ballina.
“Robbie had such a strong track record and there are huge shoes to fill and now I’m looking forward to getting to work with all of you.”
Cllr Annie May-Reape was among those who offered welcoming words.
“I want to wish Carmel and Robbie well, as well as welcoming Anna and Emmet, who we look forward to working with.”
“Councillors have always worked well with council officials. We have the odd row but that is healthy,” she added.
Cllr Michael Loftus said he was ‘disappointed’ to see the MD lose the services of someone like Carmel Murphy and said they should look for a department to be moved over from Aras an Chontae in Castlebar to the Civic Offices in Ballina.
Director of Services for the MD Catherine McConnell said she would expect to see changes in this regard in the coming year. She said that each MD was allocated two additional resources in the most recently adopted budget and this should come to fruition in the near future.
“We are looking to maximise and make the most of the space available to us while bearing remote work in mind and I expect we will see some changes in the next 12 months,” she said.
