Councillor Jim O’Leary elected Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council

Today, Councillor Jim O’Leary has been elected Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council at the Council’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 21 June, 80 years after his own grandfather, James Reidy TD, was elected Lord Mayor of Limerick. Councillor O’Leary was first elected to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in 2004, representing the Dundrum ward, and was subsequently re-elected in 2009. In 2010 he stepped away from politics for nearly a decade to concentrate on his career, but following his retirement was again elected to the Council in 2019 and re-elected on the first count in the Local Elections just gone. Councillor O’Leary is a retired Bank Executive with a 30 year career in AIB, where he held various roles in Treasury and Financial Risk Management.

Following his election to the role of Cathaoirleach, Councillor O’Leary outlined his main priorities for the year, which include guiding the work of the next Corporate Plan, progressing housing delivery, continuing the work on the Friendship Agreement with Palo Alto, California, and overseeing projects such as the Ballinteer Community Centre and actions outlined in the Dundrum Local Area Plan.

In a statement, Councillor O’Leary said, “The Friendship Agreement with the City of Palo Alto will support new relationships between UCD and Standford University, between this county’s global business sector and Silicon Valley, and it will enhance our reputation as a destination for high quality investment.”

At the Council AGM, Councillor Kazi Ahmed was elected as Leas Chathaoirleach. Councillor Ahmed (FG) was elected in the Glencullen-Sandyford Local Electoral Area in 2019 as first time Councillor. He is an alumnus of five universities in Ireland – TCD, UCD, GCD, DCU and TU and has worked across the corporate, charity and public sectors. Councillor Ahmed became an Irish Citizen in 2012 and has lived in Ireland for more than 22 years.

At the Council AGM, Councillor Kazi Ahmed was elected as Leas Chathaoirleach. Councillor Ahmed (FG) was elected in the Glencullen-Sandyford Local Electoral Area in 2019 as first time Councillor. He is an alumnus of five universities in Ireland – TCD, UCD, GCD, DCU and TU and has worked across the corporate, charity and public sectors. Councillor Ahmed became an Irish Citizen in 2012 and has lived in Ireland for more then 22 years.