Before the next Galway City Council meeting, some kind of compromise or agreement will need to be worked out between Independent councillor Catherine Connolly and Mayor Michael J Crowe.
The two were involved in a row at Monday’s council meeting, with each accusing the other of having conflicts of interest over various matters which led to the meeting being abandoned.
At the meeting, Cllr Connolly accused Mayor Crowe of having a conflict of interest in chairing and participating in a discussion of the Rental Accommodation Scheme, when he is the owner of a number of rental properties in the city.
The Mayor denied he had such a conflict and there followed testy exchanges between the two, before the Mayor accused Cllr Connolly of also having had a conflict of interest on a previous occasion, except no issue had been made of it.
“What are you talking about?” Cllr Connolly asked. The Mayor replied that her conflict of interest was some years ago when, as mayor, she voted against a proposed re-location for the Bish school, when her husband worked as a teacher there.
At this Cllr Connolly stood up and asked him to withdraw the comment and apologise. “This is an outrageous comment,” she said. However the Mayor replied: “I am not apologising. I am not withdrawing it”.
Cllr Connolly then vowed that she would “not let this meeting continue until I get an apology”. However Mayor Crowe continued to assert his stance, eventually declaring: “For the fifth time I am not apologising and I am not withdrawing.”
Cllr Connolly accused the Mayor of not being impartial and of accused him of “bringing the meeting into disrepute”.
With no resolution in sight the meeting was abandoned. However as both are strong willed individuals, neither will be keen to blink first and a resolution will be difficult. However one will have to be constructed so the next meeting can proceed without becoming stalled by this issue.
Speaking afterwards, Labour councillor Derek Nolan said the meeting was “a terrible waste of time, money, and effort”.
“Key decisions on social housing, the Council overdraft, the Taibhdearc redevelopment, and new bus stops for the east of the city were all missed,” he said. “Councillors and paid officials, who had prepared for the meeting, were forced to go home, while members of the public in attendance did not hear discussions relevant to them. There is an onus on all councillors to ensure that the work gets done.”
