Sinead Ronan, local election candidate for Fine Gael.

A directly elected mayor can be a new champion for Cork

On 24 May, as well as voting in the local and European election and a referendum, citizens in Cork, Limerick and Waterford will get the opportunity to vote on the possibility of a directly elected mayor for their cities.

Recently, the Government outlined the kind of role this new lord mayor’s office will have. At the moment, the role of lord mayor is mostly ceremonial and ambassadorial in nature, representing the city both at home and abroad, for example.

Under this new office, the lord mayor would produce policy for the Housing, Planning and Roads Departments of Cork City Council, and would be responsible for ensuring implementation of these policies.

The chief executive of each local authority will still retain the responsibility to allocate social housing, grant licences/permits and enforcement matters. It is important that this power remains in the hands of the chief executive to ensure that decisions are made in a fair and balanced manner to benefit the entire city.

Over the last number of years, we have seen a remodelling of our image and vision for Cork. We have seen key stakeholders moving hand in hand, to ensure our city and county is moving and modernising, in order to finally give a counterbalance to Dublin and the east coast.

If passed by the people on 24 May, it will benefit our city well into the future. This position will be the most powerful in the country outside of Cabinet and give a strong single voice to Cork city when dealing with the Government and national agencies such as the National Transport Authority, and the IDA.

Cork city and county in the next two decades are going to change dramatically. The Government’s Project Ireland 2040 will seek to ensure that Cork city and Cork county expand and grow in a sustainable way over this time.

To do this, Ireland 2040 will enhance Cork’s connectivity to Limerick, Waterford and Kerry and will ensure the regeneration of the city’s docklands and port. As part of Ireland 2040, a new business school will be built in UCC. Research centres will be enhanced, the Tyndall National Institute in UCC will be upgraded and we will strengthen CIT’s infrastructure.

Each of these developments will ensure that we have the talent and skills here in Cork to attract and to create successful companies.

Cork city is primed, full of energy and is ready and waiting for the future development we are seeing in Cork. The city is growing rapidly and is only set to increase in the coming years following developments like Navigation House, Horgan’s Quay and many others.

For years, when people spoke about Cork and this region, they spoke of the possibilities we had here, about what could happen here.

This is an opportunity to create a champion for those possibilities.

I am delighted that we have finally moved past that transition phase, and into a new era of development for Cork city and county. We are a confident city, competing with the best, not only in Ireland but in Europe and across the world.

Not only are we competing, but we are winning in many situations. Cork is no longer afraid to put itself forward and with a directly elected mayor, we will have a voice to put us forward.

As a local election candidate, who is campaigning on a new vision for our city, I will be supporting this plebiscite.

If this plebiscite is passed, we will be saying to the country: we see ourselves as a second city, a counterbalance to the Dublin region and we will now be electing someone who can set the agenda for the direction of our city.