*Pat Dowling. Photograph: John Mangan
Fresh calls have been made by Clare councillors for the Chief Executive of the local authority to be added to the Board of Shannon Group.
A request has been issued to the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan (GP) to appoint Limerick native Dowling as CEO of the County Council to the Board of Shannon Group.
In his proposal before the Council, Cllr John Crowe (FG) stressed, “It is vital that the Local Authority is represented on this important Board as we rebuild Shannon Airport in the wake of Covid-19 as our driver of economic activity in County Clare, the Mid-West and Western Regions”.
“This request has been made on many occasion, the time is right now and the reason I say that is with the appointment of new Chair it will lead to a re-jig of the Board, we need a major fight with Airport on its knees and we need a very strong leader,” the Sixmilebridge representative added.
Speaking at the adjourned June meeting, Cllr Crowe stated that Dowling’s predecessor Tom Coughlan previously served on the Board of Shannon Group. “If they are interested in putting people in to fight then our CEO should be on it”.
With a new Chairperson of Shannon Group to be appointed in the near future, Cllr PJ Ryan (IND) felt the addition of Dowling to the Board would be timely. “Clare County Council have been very supportive of Shannon Airport down through the years, we need first hand information coming back to the Council”.
Further support was voiced by Cllr Pat McMahon (FF), “It is very important that the CEO is appointed, he was born in the Mid-West and has worked there all of his life, he said of the Kilkee resident.
Shannon’s Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND) said he had no issue with the motion but clarified that Mr Coughlan was not representing the Council whilst on the Board. “It was made quite clear that the last county manager was a ministerial appointment and he was not representing Clare County Council, we have to be accurate with our comments”.
