On Tuesday, Wicklow County Council held a meeting to hear from independent candidates seeking the nomination for the Presidency. A majority of the 30 Councillors present decided not to endorse any candidate.
The manner in which the issue was dealt with provoked an angry response from Independent Councillor Gerry O’Neill who represents the West Wicklow part of the county.
In a social media post O’Neill declared that “In my 12 years in Public Office, yesterday was by far the worst.”
Independent Councillor for Bray West, Joe Behan, nominated Maria Steen and was seconded by Councillor O’Neill. However, this was objected to on the grounds that Steen was not present and could not be nominated in her absence. O’Neill claimed that this was simply not the case and that this was confirmed by Council officials.
It was also claimed that the Council didn’t know whether she was seeking their nomination in the first place. That she was seeking their nomination was confirmed by Maria Steen when she was contacted by a Council administrator while the meeting was in progress.
There was no vote on the proposal as Labour Councillor Paul O’Brien pre-empted a vote on Steen’s nomination by proposing that the Council nominate nobody. He was seconded by a Green Party Councillor and the motion was allowed to be taken by Fine Gael Chairperson Melanie Corrigan. It was passed by 20 votes to 10.
Gerry O’Neill claims that O’Brien’s motion was out of order as it should have been tabled at the Council meeting on September 1 when the decision to hold Tuesday’s meeting was agreed.
O’Neill also claims, that in voting for O’Brien’s motion, the Council had “made a fool of Council staff, fellow Councillors but worst of all the 10 hopefuls who made a special effort to get to Wicklow yesterday from all parts of the Country to present their case and hopefully get their name on the ticket.”
Gript contacted both Councillor O’Brien and Councillor Corrigan for a comment on O’Neill’s claims but had received no response prior to publication.
Councillor O’Neill will be raising the manner in which the proceedings were conducted at the next Council meeting in October. He will also be raising the issue of the substantial costs involved in organising the special meeting yesterday.