Councillor Joe Malone has slammed a recent press statement from Cllr Sean O'hArgain regarding the allocation of funding to the Drugs Task Force.
It was announced this week that €2,000 would be allocated to the Drugs Task Force this year by the local authority, however, this proposal had originally been mooted by Fianna Fail in December at the budget meeting and was shot down by the opposition parties.
Cllr Joe Malone said that the attempt by Cllr Sean O'HArgain to now claim credit for a proposal by Fianna Fail at a recent borough council budget meeting to give €2,000 to Kilkenny’s Drugs Task Force, despite the record showing that he voted against the proposal, is nothing short of political opportunism at its worst.
“Since being elected I have continuously highlighted Kilkenny’s drug problem and on the first occasion when I sought support from my council colleagues the record will show that, with the exception of the Fianna Fail group, all of the other eight members, including Cllr Sean O'HArgain, voted against it,” he said.
“Now that they have seen the error of their ways, they are seeking to re-address their poor decision in a bid to save face and get cheap headlines. That’s just not good enough,” he said.
“The people of Kilkenny who elected us deserve a lot more respect than that. Backtracking and trying to publicly claim credit for something they actually voted against is simply unacceptable and to send out press releases to that effect is a blatant lie to the public,” he said.
“I am now publicly calling on the members of Labour, Fine Gael and the Greens, to step up to the plate, acknowledge their mistake, and ensure that the small sum of €2,000 be allocated to the Drugs Task Force as a matter of urgency,” he said.
“Through my background in addiction studies and community work, I see first hand the destruction and heartache drugs have caused to families in Kilkenny. It’s an issue close to my heart and I will continue to do my best as a public representative to tackle this, even if other councillors try to claim credit for my work,” concluded Cllr Joe Malone.
