Betty Doran, the former Green and Labour Party councillor, has told the Mullingar Advertiser that her declaration of resignation from the Town Council may have been “in haste”.
Cllr Doran, who made the announcement at last week’s October meeting, or “the Dollard meeting” as she put it, said: “It’s a very emotive time”.
“I had said in public that I would resign from the Town Council but I feel I may have spoken in haste,” said Cllr Doran.
The councillor made her announcement in protest at the service record of her ex-colleague, Cllr Mick Dollard , and his claims of having served with the Irish army in the Congo when he would have been 12.
“The army is in my blood,” said Cllr Doran. “My father was 38 years in the army and retired as Sergeant Major. My husband was 21 years in and was a veteran of Elisabethville. He was one of six brothers who served [in the army]”.
“I saw the achievements of great people demeaned by fraudulent claims,” said Cllr Doran, explaining her decision to resign from the Town Council.
“I’m still very upset by that. I’m walking around shaking my head. It’s a very emotive time and I’m still shattered. I would sooner it never happened,” said the councillor.
On the subject of her other recent resignation, from the Green Party in protest against the recent budget, Cllr Doran has not decided whether she will run as an independent candidate in next year’s local elections.
“I will have to sit down with the family over Christmas,” said Cllr Doran. “The budget was really the final straw that broke the camel’s back. I spoke last January in the Mansion House against the coalition. I could see the downturn was coming, and I figured the Greens would take the flak. Fianna Fail had too much baggage. Then when Lisbon came along and the [Green] Party said members could vote yes or no and I voted ‘no’, it wasn’t acccepted. That was my second gripe. Then when they took the medical card [from the over 70s] and the education cutbacks, I let them know I couldn’t go on.
“The cutback in education went against a promise for €370m for investment in education. They’ve played the people for fools. I think it’s all done in a wrong way. It was a vicious budget, hitting the eldest and the youngest. Where are the fat cats?”
