Interview with Valerie O’Sullivan Chief Executive of Cork City Council

In this interview, Valerie O’Sullivan, Chief Executive of Cork City Council, reflects on her career in local government, the future of Cork City and the importance of maintaining relationships in the public sector.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your journey to becoming Chief Executive of Cork City?

Well, it certainly wasn’t planned! I was born, reared and educated in Cork, settled in Cork, raised my family in Cork and have never applied for a job outside of Cork because I never found a reason good enough to leave. And so it is very special I suppose, to be in this job now in the City of my birth, to which I owe so much.  I’ve been a public servant since I was eighteen, entering the service in Cork City Council as a Library Assistant. I have worked in the HSE as a Business Manager, and in Cork County Council where I was acting Chief Executive before I arrived back in the City in October last year. There have been opportunities to choose another career, but I was never tempted. I think no other job could have given me the chance to give back in some way to the city of my birth in the way that local government does. I think if wanting to make a difference motivates you, then local government presents you with that possibility every single day.

2. What lies in store for Cork in the coming years? 

Cork is Ireland’s second city, and that is enshrined now in national policy. Government has already committed significant funding, enabling Cork to reach its potential and deliver on its growth targets in terms of population, employment and sustainability. Already, we can see huge progress in Cork Docklands, the largest regeneration project in the state and one of the biggest in Europe with more than 6000 people employed there, and this is only the start. Cork will also be a prime location for offshore renewable energy, and the City will have a big role to play in that industry’s research and employment opportunities.  Plans are well underway to provide sustainable transport infrastructure so that the increased population can travel by rail, light rail, bus and active travel modes. The Northern Distributor road is now at public consultation stage, and this will be a gamechanger in terms of the movement of people and trade across our city, the reduction of traffic congestion, and the opening up of significant investment opportunities along its route, as well as unlocking more land for housing supply. 

Very soon, we will open Morrison’s Island’s new public realm project, which will also protect 400 city centre properties from flooding, a new Bishop Lucey Park and South Main Street, and phase two of the fabulous Marina Park in the Docklands, with the Marina Promenade already open and it has been an overnight success. Public realm amenity and placemaking have the power to transform a city, and improve quality of life and this is a major part of what the City Council is working on right now. 

Much of the work that is necessary to deliver this transformational infrastructure is invisible, and takes time, so people tend not to believe these great projects are happening until they reach construction stage. So pace is a challenge, and barriers to delivery should be removed wherever possible because Cork City has no time to lose. The population is growing and the demand for these projects already exists. 

But it is an exciting time for the City, with a window of opportunity for Ireland to perform through Cork, that I don’t believe ever existed before. Everything we are doing now in Cork City Council is focussed on that window of opportunity, and I have restructured the organisation with my team to ensure that can happen. One of my priorities is to regenerate the existing city centre in line with the docklands and that is no small task. We need to ensure that the past meets the future as an equal, with equivalence in terms of presentation, vibrancy, attractiveness and quality of place. We need to give people reasons to come into the city – to make it a location of choice for people to live here, work here, study here, invest here and visit.  So we have begun a range of work streams now to do this at operational, developmental and strategic levels. 

3. How have you seen the nature of local government change throughout your career?

Obviously, we lost services, but we gained others. One wonders whether certain things would have been better left with us as we have a track record of delivery. Local government is the go-to agency in a crisis, from severe weather to welcoming immigrants to managing through pandemics and our ability to adapt to anything never fails to amaze me. What hasn’t changed is the fact that we can be relied upon, we want to deliver services, we want the best for the public we serve and to shape a sustainable and successful future for the city we love. What also hasn’t changed is our knowledge of the place in which we work – that is why a centralised form of local government must rely on local government staff, who are experts in what they do locally. 

4. What do you see as critical for maintaining relationships in the public sector?

We have so many relationships without which we cannot deliver – with the Elected Members, with other agencies, with our colleagues in Government Departments, with a whole network of local organisations and communities, with each other in the Council and crucially with the consumers of our services – the people of Cork and those who want to be in Cork. To my mind, integrity and trust are critical.  We should do what we say we will do, and if we don’t or we can’t we must communicate the reasons. I think people are intelligent enough to know if we are operating with integrity, and with the best interests of the city at heart – I think you can see it. We don’t always have to agree, we just have to be honest and respectful. And, of course, delivery – if we get funding, and we want more, then we must demonstrate delivery. We are here to serve the public and to deliver services, and we must do that every day.  Relationships are maintained if you earn trust through what you do rather than what you say.

5. Describe what it’s like to be Chief Executive of a council in 3 words

 Well, first of all, I’m not the Chief Executive of “a council” – I’m the Chief Executive of Cork City Council  – there’s a difference!!  In three words?  Here goes.  It’s. A. Privilege.