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Mayor of Tralee Cllr Jim Finucane. Photo by Dermot Crean
FINE Gael councillor, Jim Finucane was elected as the new town Mayor of Tralee this morning at the first meeting of Tralee Municipal District since the local elections in May.
Cllr Finucane was proposed for the position by Labour Cllr Terry O’Brien and seconded by Fianna Fáil Cllr Norma Foley. Similarly, Cllr Foley proposed Cllr Sam Locke as Deputy Mayor which was seconded by Cllr Terry O’Brien.
In his first address to the Council, Mayor Finucane — who last held the position in 2014 — said it was time to take “bold steps”.
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“I look at the town and the challenges that face us, the area of employment and it’s just not a case of plodding along. It’s a time to take definitive action,” he said.
A Tarbert native, he was first elected to Tralee Town Council in 1986 and served for 14 years. He took a break from politics for much of the noughties but returned to contest the 2009 local elections and won a seat on Kerry County Council.
He was successfully re-elected twice since then and is the only Fine Gael councillor in the Tralee Electoral Area.
He is married to Sheila Sheehy and has three children, James, Jill and Orla. He has an auctioneer business based in Denny Street.
