An
unprecedented community response led to over €10,000 being raised in just a
month for the Scout’s Den, and a new mayor of Rosses Point named.
The
campaign was launched last month in the village, with the seven candidates: John
Finnegan, Kieran Devaney, Tom Devaney, Susie Petersen, John Ryan (Jnr), Simon
Rooney and Linda Gault.
The
eventual winner was Tom Devaney, who manages the post office in the village and
is also a barman in Austies.
Thanks
to some concerted fundraising and a charity race night in Austie’s, he raised
over E3,500 to claim the mayor’s chain.
Close
behind Tom was Susie Petersen, a student and popular member of the Rosses Point
community. She was named as Deputy Mayor.
The
presentation of the chain of office was made in Austie’s on Friday night, June
20.
Outgoing
mayor, Brendan Johnson, handed the chain back with humility and wished the new
mayor well in his term in office.
Anna
Mullen, who presented the chain originally in 1978 with her late husband,
Vincent, officially presented it to Tom Devaney.
The
newly-crowned mayor thanked those who had supported his fundraising and paid
special tribute to his campaign manager, Adrian O’Carroll.