[Editor’s Note: A poetic tribute to Mayor Mehaul O’Leary last night at his first meeting in charge of the City Council.] 

I couldn’t attend the City Council reorganization meeting on April 2.

Here is a revision of the poem I prepared:

Two weeks ago we learned who will be our mayor next year

We’ve elected excellent Councilmembers, so we should have no fear

About who will be our mayor and take over the reins

To see Culver City through a successful year again…!

Now, that Mehaul O’Leary is officially our next mayor, the following is dedicated to him:

The U.S. has at least two Irish American mayors — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is the son of immigrants from County Galway and our Culver City Mayor Mehaul O’Leary, an immigrant from Dublin, Ireland, a living example of the American dream.

After becoming an American citizen in 2003 and founding a business in Culver City, he became involved in city politics.

A top priority for Mayor O’Leary is seeing that our City Council of leaders works together for the greater good of Culver City.

Mehaul has the great distinction of being our mayor twice

And people in our neighborhood smile and say “That’s nice”

For he has shown us all that he cares about our community

As he finds ways to compromise and get folks to agree

Oh, it’s a long list of things he’s done to help Culver City citizens

Like visiting our schools and talking with our students

As well as providing food for the Senior Citizens Center

He doesn’t give us any blarney…Mehaul O’Leary is a winner..!

We’re lucky, Culver City and I would give a fig

(actually lots of figs from the ficus trees)

To find out if Mayor O’Leary can dance an Irish jig…!

Now, please join me in celebrating our Irish American mayor by singing Dublin’s favorite song.  Dublin’s football club, the Bohemian FC or the BOHS are celebrated at pubs and elsewhere in the last line of the chorus. So, instead of singing “Cockies and mussels, alive, alive, oh” the Dubliners clap nine times and shout out “BOHS”….Let’s clap and shout out “O’Leary”..!

In Dublin’s fair city,

Where the girls are so pretty,

I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,

As she wheeled her wheel-barrow,

Through streets broad and narrow,

Crying, “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!”

“Alive, alive, oh, Alive, alive, oh,

“Crying  CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP  O’Leary…!

Dr. Hoult may be contacted at HOULTight@aol.com