Mayor of Ballina Councillor Michelle Mulherin has hit back at her Fianna Fáil town council colleague Cllr Padraic Moore who accused her of treating the chain of office “like a piece of jewellery”.
At last night’s town council meeting Cllr Moore tabled a notice of motion requested that the office of Mayor of Ballina Town Council represents all the people of the town equally, irrespective of their political views.
However speaking ahead of the meeting Cllr Mulherin insisted to the Mayo Advertiser, she said she has the highest respect for the office of first citizen of Ballina. “I have seized any opportunity to represent the town and its best interest to the highest level locally, nationally, and internationally. Every such opportunity should be grasped. We only have to consider how beyond Swinford signposts for Ballina are few and far between to realise the challenge that exists to promote the town for business and tourism beyond our own immediate area.”
She accused Cllr Moore of “insular thinking” representing the type of world where Ballina is a “hidden secret where no outsiders or competition are wanted, where progress is feigned and no change is acceptable, where in reality maintaining the status quo satisfies the vested interest of a few who are comfortable with the way things are in this town.”
She accused him of failing to recognise the reality of what it takes to promote the town.
Cllr Mulherin continued that any attack on the Mayor was a waste of the chamber’s time, and she noted that the five councillors intent on “controlling and telling” her what to do are not the five who supported her bid to become mayor.
She said if the chain had been disrespected it was the way Fianna Fáil “hogged” it for the past 10 years.
Mayor Mulherin went so far as to say she was circumspect about wearing the chain. She said she actually went without it for eight weeks while it was being restored.
Defending her decision to wear the chain at the Ard Fheis, she explained that the event was televised and attended by organisations, diplomats, observers, and media and she said she proudly wore the chain alongside mayors of town, city, and council councils from all over the country.
Cllr Mulherin went on to accuse Fianna Fáil of circumventing protocol, giving the example of Minister Michael Finneran’s visit to St Patrick’s estate to announce funding where she was not invited to speak by the MC Dara Calleary TD. She claimed that it wasn’t until she expressed her expectation to speak to a Department official that she was called upon.
Cllr Mulherin suggested that Cllr Moore’s efforts and energy would be better served trying to impress upon Deputy Calleary the urgency of attracting industry and employment to Ballina, a job he is better positioned to do now that he has been appointed Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, with special responsibility for Labour Affairs. Cllr Mulherin has also congratulated Dep Calleary and his family on his appointment which she described as “an honour for the town”.
