Fiona told: ‘You epitomise what it is to be a good councillor’
Glowing tributes were paid to Newport Labour Party councillor Fiona Bonfield as her year-long position as Cathaoirleach of the Nenagh Municipal District came to an end on Thursday of last week.
In her outgoing address made at the Annaul Meeting of the district, Cllr Bonfield said it had been a privilege and an honour to be chair in the district over the past 12 months.
She said a lot of progress had been made in the district in that period. Among the highlights were the unveiling of a mural in Nenagh in honour of the late Pogues founder and singer Shane MacGowan and the resurrection of the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in the town following an absence of several years.
Cllr Bonfield said plans were progressing for the development of the multi-million euro hydro-electric plant in Silvermines that, when commissioned, would be “a game changer” for the Silvermines area.
Other highlights during her term at the helm that she mentioned included the long anticipated opening of the new bridge across the River Shannon linking Ballina and Killaloe, which she said would provided a much needed boost for the local economy and improve the quality of lives for people living in the area.
She said the new crossing was proving extremely popular. “I have walked and cycled along the bridge and the amount of people doing likewise is astonishing.”
Cllr Bonfield thanked the local community for putting up with the disruption to their lives over the three years it took to deliver the project.
She said other highlights included the soon to be delivered amenity in Dromineer that will replace the old public toilets in the lakeside village. The new facility would greatly enhance the village over many years to come.
TOWN TEAMS
Other achievements included the establishment of special Town Teams in Newport and Nenagh that were now working to enhance the urban cores and to meet the challenges faced by town centes now and in the years to come. She looked forward to a similar initiative in Ballina being implemented in the near future.
Cllr Bonfield said she was looking forward to seeing the council deliver on its plan to transform a brownfield site on Martyrs Road in Nenagh, the centrepiece being the construction of a multi-million euro national centre for sustainable development. The aim was to submit planning through a Part 8 process towards the end of the current year, or the first quarter of 2026.
She said that last March, the District approved a Works Programme to the value of €15 million for the current year to fund projects such as road resurfacing and maintenance works, bridge repairs, improved Active Travel measures, footpath improvement works, drainage works, town and village enhancements, street cleaning, and maintenance of amenity areas.
All of these projects showed that the Nenagh Municipal District authority was delivering for towns and villages, which was a great credit to the council staff in the district.
The outgoing Leas Cathaoirleach Cllr Séamie Morris told Cllr Bonfield he was very proud to have worked with her as her deputy. “You epitomise what a good councillor should be. You pull your sleeves up and work for your community. Everything you do is with great integrity and you don’t look for any glory. You have been a great captain of our team over the last year.”
Cllr John Carroll told Cllr Bonfield that she had been very fair in her approach and had proven to be creative and innovative. “You always had a listening ear, which is a great quality. Thank you in no small way for doing so well in a time of great volatility.”
Cllr Phyll Bugler said Cllr Bonfield had dealt really well with all the thorny issues she faced in her time at the helm, while Cllr Louise Morgan Walsh described Cllr Bonfield as “my mentor” - “and nobody could have a better mentor than you.”
Cllr Pamela Quirke O’ Meara said it was fantastic that a woman had been at the helm of the municipal district in the first year after the local elections. Cllr Bonfield was somebody who was “dedicated and committed”.
Cllr JP O’ Meara told Cllr Bonfield she had been fantastic in the role as Cathaoirleach; Cllr Joe Hannigan described her as “as a class person”. He said he looked on with “a certain degree of jealousy” on what she had achieved in her time as a councillor for the people of her own native area of Newport.
Cllr Michael O’ Meara said Cllr Bonfield had “a terrific year”. District Administrator Rosemary Joyce said Cllr Bonfield was a person who was very easy to work with, and someone who showed great interest in the people she encountred in her role as Cathaoileach.District Manager Liam Brett said Cllr Bonfield had a great work ethic, while District Engineer Barry Murphy said her collaborative approach helped to deliver many road improvement projects across the district over the past year.