Dear Editor,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two articles on Local Government on April 13th<\/sup> clearly show that The Irish Times doesn’t understand the reality that the Citizens Assembly on a directly elected Mayor for Dublin was established to delay reform not advance it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the Government and more importantly the destructive Department of Housing and Local Government want a directly elected Mayor for Dublin or to reform Local Government they simply need to do it. There has never been a plebiscite on the removal of powers that has occurred consistently over the last thirty years or so. There has been no plebiscite on the broken promises on reimbursement of Domestic Rates of the hijacking of LPT by National Government. There has never been a plebiscite on the current planned destruction of the Joint Policing Committees or the removal of powers under the Planning and Development Bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we face into Local Elections perhaps The Irish Times might lead the way by focusing on Local Government from the elected members point of view instead of the Executive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps too that coverage will no longer be based on whose son, daughter, cousin, nephew or niece will inherit the family seat or what the results will mean for a party leader etc etc and will instead focus on the policies and ideas promoted. It will make a nice change and it might even give our country and counties, politics and politicians that deliver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yours sincerely,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Councillor Dermot Lacey<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dear Editor, Two articles on Local Government on April 13th clearly show that The Irish Times doesn’t understand the reality that the Citizens Assembly on a directly elected Mayor for Dublin was established to delay reform not advance it. If the Government and more importantly the destructive Department of Housing and Local Government want a directly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lettersed"],"yoast_head":"\n