Following what Labour candidate Dr Bernie Courtney describes as “having ruffled a few feathers” at GMIT, Castlebar, leading to her being informed that she would be removed from the liaison committee of GMIT Castlebar Campus, Dr Courtney has in fact been given unanimous support from the Mayo VEC committee last Thursday night. The committee, who reserve the function to appoint and remove members, instructed that Dr Courtney would continue as its representative in GMIT and to attend the next meeting of the liaison committee which took place on Wednesday.
Dr Courtney said that she is “heartened by the support I have received from my colleagues on Mayo VEC”, but said that she makes no apology for raising concerns about the future of the Castlebar campus to the attention of the public “as a parents’ rep and as a member of Mayo VEC it is my duty to do so”.
The Labour candidate said: “The people of Castlebar and Mayo fought long and hard for our third level college and any threat to it is a threat to this community, to our young people, our economy and to our future. There are also a number of issues that remain unclear and need to be addressed and resolved. That can only occur with full, frank, and transparent discussion between all parties and that hasn’t happened yet.
“I look forward to continuing my work with the liaison committee, on Mayo VEC’s behalf, to ensure a long and successful future for GMIT in Castlebar.”
