Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)

I did not mention a name.

The point I am making is that if there is in place a directly elected Dublin mayor, allowing for the fact that it is incompetence or stupidity rather than corruption leads to the rezoning of ghost estates around Dublin, he or she, if worth their own salt, might be able to question the reason housing estates or retail parks are being built in, say, Fingal, where they are not needed, rather than in Dun Laoghaire where they are needed, or vice versa. One must have strategic vision in terms of the type of proper planning that has not happened in Dublin for a long time. In that context, the mayor can impact in a positive way on the city and county.

As far as I can see the Green Party is the only party that is trying to engage with the public on this issue. It is doing so through the www.Mayor4Dublin.ie website and by distributing leaflets around the city and hubs. The other parties appear to be rubbishing the idea and saying it will cost more money.

See this speech in context