CLONAKILTY mother-of-two, business owner and award-winning photographer Anna Groniecka, (38) has thrown her hat in the ring for the role of town mayor, which will be voted on in June.
Anna, along with other candidates, will be putting themselves forward for Clonakilty’s voluntary, non-political, community mayor.
The Clonakilty mayor is a non-statutory, honorary position, which has been a huge success in the town since the abolition of the town council in 2014.
Candidates nominate themselves, or are nominated by someone they know, with a special election taking place in Clonakilty on Saturday June 8th – the day after the European and local elections – at Scoil Na mBuachailli.
Five people will be elected to hold the position of mayor of Clonakilty on a rotation basis over the following five years.
Anna is a seasoned commercial and branding photographer who specialises in personal branding, events, and PR photography, as well as weddings and community projects.
Her high-profile photography work also includes photoshoots for a wide range of national publications.
Currently vice-president designate in the women’s business network organisation Network Ireland West Cork, her latest photography exhibition is currently on show at LHQ gallery at Library HQ Cork.
Ireland has been home to Polish native Anna for the last 18 years, and she now resides in Clonakilty where she lives with her two children Olivia and Ben, and dog Coco.
She hopes her bid for mayor will be successful, as one of a minority of women who have nominated themselves to the role in recent years.
The only female mayors to have been elected to the role were Collette Twomey and Gretta O’Donovan.
‘I believe it’s important for people in the town of Clonakilty and surrounding areas to continue to see more women getting involved in roles like this.
I hope that by putting myself forward as a candidate that it might also ignite an interest in the mayoral process to many younger people living in Clonakilty.’
