Dublin needs a directly elected mayor "sooner rather than later", according to former lord mayor Hazel Chu.
However, she believes it needs to go “hand-in-hand” with “massive” reform of local government.
Councillor Chu's Green Party has been among those campaigning for many years to have a mayor elected directly by the people of Dublin.
Currently, the lord mayor is a ceremonial role - voted in by councillors, with a term of just one year. Each of Dublin's local council's has their own mayor.
However, proponents of a directly elected mayor argue reform is needed, in order to coordinate work across the capital.
Campaigners believe a mayor should have executive powers and be accountable for local services such as transport, housing, waste management and community development - similar to the responsibility of mayors in cities such as London.
A plebiscite back in 2019 saw the people of Limerick approve the idea of directly elected mayor, although the proposal was narrowly rejected by voters in Cork and Waterford.
The Government is now pushing ahead with plans to have the first election for a mayor of Limerick, but Dubliners have yet to have their say on whether a similar idea should be introduced for the capital.
On Lunchtime Live, Councillor Chu - whose term as mayor ended in June - said there's a "lot of merit" in the idea of having a directly elected mayor for Dublin.
She said: "Councillors’ powers have been eroded so much in the last couple of decades - a lot of our powers are gone, apart from the city development plan.
“When it comes to making sure things are taken care of, you need to have someone responsible - a directly-elected mayor.
“The best-case scenario is to have a person that’s directly elected - to take some of the responsibility and power from the chief executive."
She noted that Dublin City Council chief executive Owen Keegan has previously made comments in favour of a directly elected mayor - with Mr Keegan having suggested there's a "strong case" for the proposal.
Councillor Chu said Limerick is now Ireland's "first model" for how a directly elected mayor could work, but she believes it needs to happen in the capital "sooner than later".
However, she stressed it has to happen alongside wider reform of local government.
She added that she and others have been pushing for a plebiscite on a directly elected mayor to happen soon.
