Fine Gael’s decision to push through its four nominees to the VEC and not give the opposition members in the council a chance to put through one nominee led to bad feeling among the other councillors at the monthly meeting of the local authority.
Fine Gael whip Joe Mellett proposed the names of Nonie McGee, Clodagh Geraghty, Pat Kilbane, and Paddy Naughton. However Independent Councillor Frank Durcan proposed Tony Deffely for one of the seats on the VEC, which was seconded by Fianna Fáil Councillor Blackie Gavin. Fianna Fáil Councillor Al McDonnell asked the council management: “Does the group system not apply here, where if we have eight people wishing to nominate someone for one of four positions that they can do so?”
County secretary John Condon told the meeting: “We received some legal advice from Cllr Jarlath Munnelly which we had looked over by the council’s own legal advisors with which they agreed. The advice states that the traditional grouping system applied at the council’s AGM does not apply to non council members.” Thus allowing the majority party to successfully appoint its nominees.
Cllr McDonnell pleaded with Fine Gael not to be seen to be abusing their power and allow his side of the house to put up one nominee. “In the interests of their own party not to be seen to be abusing power they should go with our suggestion. We wouldn’t want to be seen to have been abusing power if we were in it.”
Cllr Durcan added: “This man is not going up on his own accord, he was nominated to the position. Fine Gael will lose a lot more today by rejecting Tony Deffely and Deputy Kenny will feel it in the ballot boxes,” he warned.
Cllr Durcan’s amendment to the proposal by Cllr Mellett saw Deffely replace Pat Kilbane on the nomination. However the amendment was defeated by 18 votes to nine, with the Fine Gael grouping voting en block to support the original motion along with Independent Councillor Michael Kilcoyne.
