At the Wicklow County Council meeting held on Monday 8th April, Elected Members extended their congratulations and best wishes to Minister Simon Harris on his nomination as Taoiseach, which was ratified yesterday by President Michael D. Higgins.
Following his recent appointment as leader of Fine Gael, Minister Harris becomes the first sitting Wicklow T.D. to serve as Taoiseach, and in doing so it marks a momentous occasion for the county of Wicklow.
Growing up in Greystones, An Taoiseach Simon Harris was first appointed as an Elected Member to Wicklow County Council in 2009, serving as representative for the Greystones Municipal District, where he received a record percentage of the vote.
As a Wicklow County Councillor, he served as chairperson of the County Wicklow Joint Policing Committee and Chairperson of the HSE Regional Health Forum. He was a member of Wicklow County Council's Housing Strategic Policy Committee and Wicklow Vocational Educational Committee.
Upon his election to Dáil Éireann in 2011, An Taoiseach Simon Harris became the youngest serving deputy in the 31st Dáil. His dedication, vision and commitment to public service have been evident since then, not only to his Wicklow constituents, but in supporting communities all across Ireland.
Speaking on the appointment of Simon Harris as Taoiseach, Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council Aoife Flynn Kennedy said, ‘On behalf of my colleagues within the Council chamber, we all express our heartiest congratulations to Simon Harris on this historic appointment as Taoiseach of Ireland. It is a particular honour to see a former Wicklow Elected Member appointed to that office, and we wish him all the best in the role.’
Wicklow County Council Chief Executive Emer O’Gorman expressed her congratulations to An Taoiseach Simon Harris, commenting, ‘I speak for all members of staff within Wicklow County Council in wishing Simon Harris every success as he begins this new chapter in his political career. We are delighted to see a sitting Wicklow T.D. take on the role of Taoiseach, and we look forward to continuing to work together to support all citizens of our county’.