SF vice-chair in Monaghan but excluded in Cavan
Sinn Féin Councillor Brian McKenna has been elected as Vice-Chairperson of
Monaghan County Council. At the council's Annual General Meeting last
Friday, the six newly-elected Sinn Féin county councillors took their seats
for the first time. The party's representation increased from two county
councillors to six in the 11 June local government elections.
Cavan/Monaghan Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghín O Caoláin welcomed this development
but contrasted it with what took place on Cavan County Council, where newly
elected Sinn Féin Councillor Pauline Tully was excluded from a place on Co.
Cavan VEC by what the TD called a ``crude manoeuvre'' by Fianna Fáil
councillors.
Cavan County Council had hitherto nominated eight of its members to the
VEC. Eight were duly nominated at last Friday's AGM, including Councillor
Tully, whose name was put forward by her colleague Councillor Charlie
Boylan. However the Fianna Fáil majority on the council then proposed that
the number of Council member nominees for the VEC be reduced to seven, thus
excluding Tully.
Commenting on the meeting, Deputy O Caoláin said: ``This was a crude
manoeuvre by Fianna Fáil to keep Pauline Tully off the VEC. It demonstrates
a sad absence of political maturity on the part of the dominant council
group and a failure to recognise the right of smaller groupings to play the
constructive role for which they received their electoral mandate.
``Pauline Tully is a teacher working in the VEC system and was a logical
choice for VEC membership. To reduce the number of councillor nominees to
exclude her was nothing short of a gerrymander. It was an echo of the 1991
situation on Monaghan County Council when a Coalition of Fianna FÝil and
Fine Gael kept a Sinn Féin representative off the VEC.''
Meanwhile, Monaghan County Council Vice-Chairperson Councillor Brian
McKenna is due to become Chairperson of the Council in June 2000.
Commenting on the AGM, Councillor McKenna said:
``I am very proud to accept this position on behalf of the Sinn Féin
electorate of County Monaghan and to be part of the strong team of Sinn
Féin elected representatives on this and every other local authority in the
County. My pledge is to serve all the people of County Monaghan. I look
forward to assuming the responsibility of Chairperson of the County Council
in the year 2000. This new council has many challenges ahead as we strive
to develop our still-marginalised county. We must face those challenges
together, as a Councill united in the interests of all the people who have
given us our mandate.''
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