Introduction
The Programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce a directly elected Mayor for Dublin with executive functions by 2011.

A Dublin City Mayor or a City Region Mayor?
There are 2 main options for a Dublin Mayor, i.e. (i) a mayor for the area governed by Dublin City Council or (ii) a mayor for the wider Dublin Region – which in itself could be defined in a number of ways. These are two very different mayoral models.

As Chapter 4 indicates, various models of mayor are used across the world e.g. directly elected without executive powers (as proposed under the Local Government Act 2001); a mayor with full executive powers, or an executive mayor and manager model with a defined set of powers distributed between mayor and manager.

The model developed in London provides the mayor with a limited set of strategic functions across the region. The London Mayor sets out plans and policies covering transport, planning and development, economic development and regeneration, culture, and a range of environmental issues including biodiversity, ambient noise, waste disposal and air quality. The 33 London Boroughs continue to carry out their normal functions within this regional policy framework. The Mayor’s office is linked to a directly elected Assembly which scrutinises the office of the Mayor but has limited powers. See Annex II for a description of the London Mayor and Assembly.

While the London Mayor offers one model, it must be realised that there are fundamental differences between London and Dublin in terms of scale. The relationship between a regional mayor and 33 local authorities in London compared to a Regional Mayor and 4 local authorities in Dublin would also be quite different.

Institutional Linkages
The relationship between a directly elected Mayor (in whatever form that office may take) and other key institutional arrangements for Dublin will need to be clearly established. If the Mayor is representative of the City Council area only, he or she can only speak for one of the 4 Dublin authorities. If on the other hand the Mayor is elected across the 4 authorities (or broader), the office of Mayor might be expected to become a key focal point for many regional strategic issues.

Key institutional linkages include linkages with the proposed Dublin Transport Authority, the Dublin Regional Authority (and in particular its functions in preparing Regional Planning Guidelines) and the arrangements established for the Dublin Waste Management Region.

Other key linkages are with central government and, in the case of a Regional Mayor, with the 4 existing authorities and the mayors/cathaoirligh of those authorities.

Submissions from the Public and Consideration by the Consultative Committee
There was a significant divergence of opinion on the merits of introducing a directly elected Mayor for Dublin. Many individual submissions were opposed to the idea of a directly elected Mayor, either because the present system was viewed as sufficient or because of mistrust of a new political office. Most institutions and authorities supported a directly elected Mayor with a regional and strategic remit in their comments.

The consideration of this question by the Consultative Committee tended to agree that, in principle, a directly elected Mayor for Dublin would be a positive development. It was also generally felt that the Regional Mayor (most likely with a remit within the boundaries of the existing 4 Dublin authorities) was the most appropriate approach. However, it was also pointed out that a directly elected Mayor of the city would be easier to put in place in terms of fitting in with existing institutional arrangements.

Issues raised included the accountability of a Regional Mayor, the relationship with central government, the institutional arrangements needed to support a Regional Mayor and cost of those arrangements, the issues of spending and taxation for such an office, the role of the regional authority, the relation with the proposed Dublin Transport Authority and so on.

Options for a Dublin Mayor
Having regard to these issues the various options which could be followed for establishing a directly elected Mayor for Dublin are set out below.

A Mayor for Dublin City
A directly elected Mayor for Dublin City Council (as provided for, but not implemented under the Local Government Act 2001) would have a high profile both locally and nationally. Such a figure would raise the profile of Dublin, bring a greater democratic connection to city residents and create clearer accountability for City Council service delivery. This accountability would be further enhanced if the Mayor was responsible for a suite of functions along the lines suggested in Chapter 4.

A directly elected Mayor for the City Council area could be introduced without disrupting the existing general administrative and structural arrangements for the Greater Dublin Area.

A Regional Mayor for Dublin
If the purpose of a directly elected Mayor is to provide local leadership on major strategic issues facing the Dublin regional area, a different model of mayor may be required. Dublin faces major strategic challenges in public transport enhancement and delivery, regional planning and the sustainable housing provision, management of waste, and the long term provision of drinking water and waste water disposal. In addition, the need to change the pattern of development in the Greater Dublin Area is a critical part of the response to meeting national climate change targets. These are all issues which face the 4 Dublin local authorities collectively as well as individually. The exact role of the Mayor in relation to these issues would also need careful consideration – see below. Measures in the current Programme for Government for a Dublin Transportation Authority have the potential to provide new co-ordination functions that will need to be carefully integrated with the functions of regional and local authorities and with any proposals which arise out of this reform process.

The 4 local authorities co-operate well on these issues through a number of mechanisms. For example, regional planning guidelines are adopted by the Dublin Regional Authority, waste management is co-ordinated under the Dublin Waste Region, the Dublin Transport Office co-ordinates transport planning, the Affordable Housing Partnership was established with a Dublin focus and there are a number of other more informal arrangements in place. Co-operation between the Dublin local authorities in the “metropolitan interest” is a statutory requirement under the Local Government (Dublin) Act 1993.

However, the requirement to co-operate usually requires much behind the scenes negotiation before proposals are considered by the elected members. Unless handled properly, such a process can be perceived as presenting elected representatives with a pre-determined outcome. A Mayor with a regional remit would bring an accountable political mandate to deal with the regional co-operation and strategic decision making required in these areas.

The Geographical Remit of a Dublin Mayor
If a Mayor is to be introduced for the Dublin Region the question that then follows is how is that region to be defined? Options include:

Deciding on the most appropriate structure for a Dublin Regional Mayor will also have to take into account the Government’s objectives for achieving balanced regional development, as set out in the National Spatial Strategy and the Agreed Programme for Government – see also discussion in Chapter 9.

Powers of a Dublin Mayor
If a Mayor was to be introduced for the city area only, the proposed powers given to the office could be along the lines set out in Chapter 4 in relation to mayors generally.

In the case of a Regional Mayor, it is suggested that such a Mayor should be given specific powers in relation to those areas which require, and are subject to, cross-boundary co-operation. These include powers in relation to strategic land-use planning, waste management, water services and housing as mentioned above. These are areas which have been subject to ongoing debate and occasional controversy. It is suggested that a Mayor with a democratic mandate to make decisions for the region could overcome the issues of legitimacy and bring more transparency by centring decision making in the Mayor’s office.

Transport is one of the key challenges facing the Dublin Region. The Government is progressing legislation to establish a Dublin Transport Authority. It is suggested that a democratically elected Mayor for the Dublin Region should have a key role in the provision of a sustainable transport system in Dublin. Any such role would continue to be in the context that, in the foreseeable future, central government will continue to bear most of the capital cost for enhanced transportation within the region, even with the contribution of private sector funding through PPPs. It is suggested that the most appropriate role for Dublin Mayor in this case would be as Chair of the Dublin Transport Authority.

It is not proposed to establish new operational institutions to execute decisions of a strategic nature referred to above. Implementation should generally rely on existing institutional arrangements.

Any powers given to such a Mayor’s office at regional level would, however, need to respect national and E.U. obligations. This issue is discussed further in Chapter 10.

A Role for the Dublin Regional Authority?
Mayors are typically part of an institutional architecture which includes a council with varying degrees of power. The London Assembly referred to above is a directly elected assembly which oversees the office of London Mayor. By design the London Assembly has limited powers. It is not an executive or legislative authority. It was designed to provide oversight while giving the Mayor greater freedom to act. The weak nature of the Assembly has been subject to some criticism.

Depending on the geographical remit of a Regional Mayor, the Dublin Regional Authority could play a role in relation to the Mayor’s Office in Dublin. Consideration would need to be given to the exact powers of the Authority in the new arrangements, and to whether election to the Authority should be direct as opposed to indirect as at present.

A Regional Mayor and a City Mayor and the Question of the First Citizen
Much of the debate around the Dublin Mayor has revolved around the question of whether the directly elected Mayor should be for the City Council area only or for the wider Dublin Region. The debate suggests that it is the wider region (however defined) which requires strategic political leadership. However, Chapter 4 proposes that all city and county councils should have directly elected mayors. This then leaves the possibility of having a directly elected Mayor for the city, the 3 Dublin county councils and the Region. In particular, both a City Mayor and a Regional Mayor would have a particular status and importance which could potentially lead to conflict notwithstanding the different remits which would attach to those offices – not least in terms of ceremonial importance.

This is not without precedent. The Lord Mayor of London and the London Mayor co-exist, though in terms of scale the remit of the Lord Mayor in London only extends to a very small part of the overall metropolitan area.¹²In some areas of the United States, a mayor may be elected to govern a county which itself can contain a number of cities – see again Annex I in relation to Miami where Miami City is a unit within Miami-Dade County.

This question could complicate future governance of the city. In this regard there are a number of options:

In terms of providing strong leadership for the City, the possibility of the City and Regional Mayor being incorporated in the same person would have some clear advantages. However, there would be issues of electoral legitimacy to be considered. Do the voters of the wider Dublin Region elect a Lord Mayor for the City, or vice versa?

A Dublin Mayor and Central Government
Given Dublin’s importance as Capital City and as an economic driver for the rest of the Irish economy, decisions and policies of central government will continue to play a very important part in the city’s future. One of the key relationships for an elected Dublin Mayor will be with central government - especially in relation to centrally delivered services such as education, health and policing. Local authorities already work with Government Departments and other service delivery agencies on a number of levels, on an ad hoc basis for example in relation to the provision of new schools, and on a more formal level as partners on the county and city development boards and through joint policing committees. The recently established Developing Areas Initiative is an important mechanism to incentivise local authorities and key stakeholders to co-ordinate their activities and consider the strategic implications of policies and investments into the future.

New roles for an elected Dublin Mayor may evolve in these areas also. As demonstrated in London, it will also be possible to add to a Dublin Mayor’s powers overtime if the office is seen to be a success.