The messy row over the appointment of people to the Mayo VEC by local authorities in the county finally came to an end last week.
At the April meeting of Castlebar Town Council, Sinn Féin Cllr Therese Ruane was elected to the VEC by the members of the council. However things did not run smoothly in the chamber with Cllr Frank Durcan expressing his opinion that Cllr Ruane should not be appointed to the position.
Cllr Durcan told the meeting that he was objecting to Cllr Ruane’s proposal because he saw her protesting outside of Castlebar Garda Station, in a protest organised in relation to the alleged ‘rape’ comments be members of the Gardai in Belmullet which were allegedly caught on tape. Cllr Durcan also told the meeting that Cllr Ruane was involved in a protest outside of Belmullet Garda Station.
Cllr Ruane informed the meeting that she wasn’t at the protest in Belmullet but was at the one in Castlebar.
Fine Gael Cllr Brendan Heneghan went on to say that what Cllr Ruane does on her own time is her business as to what she does. Cllr Ruane went on to say she had every right to protest at the Garda station as a citizen and that it in no way affected her ability to be appointed to the VEC and pointed out that she had 12 years of teaching experience behind her. She had earlier been proposed by Mayor Ger Deere and seconded by Cllr Brendan Henaghan.
