Alderman Jim Dillon MBE receives a Lifetime Achievement Award
October 22, 2018
A long-serving councillor, Alderman Jim Dillon MBE, of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his service to local government at the 2018 NILGA Local Government Awards.
Alderman Dillon has a vast array of experience in local government. He was first elected to the then Lisburn Borough Council in May 1977. During his 41 years as an Elected Member of Council he has sat on and held Chairman positions of numerous Council Committees. He is currently Chairman of the Council’s Capital Projects Committee.
He was Deputy Mayor of Lisburn City Council from 1998-2000 and Mayor from 2000-2002 at the time City Status was awarded to Lisburn.
Following local government reform, Alderman Dillon was once again elected to the new Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council in 2014 and he has continued to play an active role.
Alderman Dillon said: “I’m very honoured to receive this Lifetime Achievement Award. Really the time has gone by so quickly. During my time in local government I have always carried out a full role in Council business and I have a real passion for local issues and making the area as good a place as it can be. I have worked with many Elected Members, Chief Executives, Directors and Council employees and I now look forward to working with our new Chief Executive, Mr David Burns.
“I started my political career as a locally-elected representative when the Council sat in Hillsborough, which I look back on fondly, and I was very involved in seeing Lagan Valley Island take its place as the modern headquarters landmark building it now is. I have had many privileged moments and highlights, and I count some of my very best friends from relationships formed at the Council.”
Congratulating Alderman Dillon, the Right Worshipful the Mayor, Councillor Uel Mackin, said: “Jim is part and parcel of the fabric of the Council. He is deeply respected for his wisdom and his knowledge which spans over many years. Never one to skirt around facts Jim does not mince his words and he is consistently straight to the point. He saw this headquarters building rise from an unused patch of land to the large community-based building it is today, and he is one of the very few Elected Members who sat on the old Council when it was based in Hillsborough.
“Jim represented the Council as Mayor and welcomed Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to Lagan Valley Island’s official opening in 2001, as well as hosting and overseeing many Royal visits, civic, ceremonial and community events. I am really delighted to see Jim receive this recognition, it is richly deserved and I speak on behalf of his many friends and colleagues on the Council.”
The Council’s Interim CEO, Mr Jim Rose, said: “Alderman Dillon justly deserves the recognition of this Lifetime Achievement Award. As a long-time employee myself I have worked with Alderman Dillon over the last 16 years. His wide experience across local government over such a lengthy period means his counsel is always worth seeking.
“He is a devoted father to his son, a very busy grandfather and very involved at the family farm in Moira, juggling the many demands he has on his time to fit everything in.
“He has always wanted the Council to serve its citizens to the highest standards, and he is very quick to speak up and create, or join debates in Committees and in the Chamber. Alderman Dillon has been very instrumental in his economic development work in supporting business and industry, tourism and capital developments over the years, and he is always looking out for progression.
“He is highly respected across the organisation with Members of Council and staff alike. The Council has benefited from the decades he has spent here as a locally-elected political representative working on behalf of his constituents and in the interests of the greater Lisburn area, now Lisburn Castlereagh.”
