Bronwen Maher

Bronwen Maher (born Dublin 4th January 1957) is an elected member of Dublin City Council for the Irish Green Party, representing the Clontarf ward. She was elected in 2004 on her second attempt. She was elected Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin in June 2005, and elected Chair of the Dublin Regional Authority 2007-2008.

She was the Green Party candidate at the 2007 general election in the Dublin North Central constituency receiving 5% of the vote.

Bronwen is the Green Party’s sole representative on Dublin City Council, the party's National Spokesperson on Childcare, and is currently Chair of the Dublin Bay Task Force, appointed by the Dublin Regional Authority to this position in June 2008.

The Dublin Bay Task Force was established by the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley TD to draw up a Master Plan for the Bay. This appointment follows her high level involvement in the campaign to protect the Bay's environment and to stop the 52 acre Dublin Bay infill proposed by the Dublin Port Company. On her election to Dublin City Council she successfully amended the Dublin City Development Plan to further protect the Bay's environment.

Author of the Green Party’s ‘Manifesto for Women’and Green Party Spokesperson on Women's Affairs between 2002 to 2007, she also coordinated the party's Womens’ policy review and submission to the National Plan for Women 2002. Bronwen has a keen interest in equality and justice issues, since her election she has made quality and delivery of services for older people and people with disabilities a key priority.

As Spokesperson on Childare she launched the Green Party's Childrens policy in July 2006 and has lobbied for the State to be more involved in providing childcare in community-based centres, ensuring high standards throughout the sector and giving greater support to private childcare providers.

During her term of office as Chair of the Dublin Regional Authority she was involved in developing a new enterprise strategy for Dublin City and Region.

Although she is the sole Green Party representative on Dublin City Council, Bronwen has achieved a number of key policy iniatives such as strengthening the Dublin City Development Plan to provide higher energy efficiency standards in new buildings and improvement in apartment buildings' design to provide better recycling facilities for residents. She was also a member of the highly regarded Lord Mayor's Commission on Policing and Crime 2004-2005 and currently sits on Dublin City Council's Joint Policing Committee.

Originally from Artane, Bronwen was educated at Maryfield College, Drumcondra and the Holy Faith in Clontarf, and now works as a full time Public Representative. She is married with one son and lives in Killester.

Bronwen Maher joined the Irish Green Party in 1989 and held many positions in the party over the past nineteen years - as former MEP Patricia McKenna's Election Campaign Manager in 1999 and a member of the party’s Election Task Force from 2001 to 2004 which organised the party's successful 2002 General Election campaign and 2004 Local Election campaign.

External links

* [http://www.greenparty.ie The Irish Green Party web site]
* [http://www.BronwenMaher.com Brownwen Maher's own web site]