LOCAL Fine Gael councillor Fiona McLoughlin Healy says an investigation into a controversial motion she prposed will expose an old boys club.
A hearing is to be held tonight (Tuesday) at the party’s national headquarters into a complaint against Cllr McLoughlin Healy for bringing the party into disrepute. The complaint was submitted by Cllr Darren Scully following the submission in May, by Cllr McLoughlin Healy, of a motion of no confidence in the then Mayor of Kildare, her Fine Gael colleague, Cllr Brendan Weld.
“I believe a thorough investigation of the events leading up to my motion of no confidence in the Mayor will expose the old boys club that exists in Kildare, a club that is doing untold damage to the party’s reputation,” she said.
“Right up until the days before my motion was debated I had offered to meet with Cllr Weld. Cllr Weld could have met me at any time and defused the situation. It was his decision to refuse to meet me to discuss his behaviour , not just as a FG colleague but as a mayor of the county.”
Cllr McLoughlin Healy added that a private meeting, which she believes was called by Cllr Brendan Weld in November 2015, was one of the reasons why she called for a vote of no confidence.
“The heads of each political party, including the Independent group in Kildare Co Council, were invited and present. The purpose of the meeting, as reported much later at the May 2016 council meeting, was to block council motions submitted by myself from being debated publicly at monthly meetings.
“This meeting was called days after a council meeting at which a motion submitted by myself, calling for a breakdown of the grants paid out by the Decade of Commemorations committee, had caused major controversy.
“The controversial report revealed the Chair of the Committee, a Fianna Fáil councillor ( now TD) had signed off on a grant to a group, the applicant for which was her brother. The Fiann Fáil councillor admitted a few days later on an interview with KFM radio’s Shane Beatty that she had not declared a conflict of interest as required by law. Cllr Weld was a member of the Decade of Commemorations committee that had signed off on the grant.”
She added that since November, the month the private meeting is reported to have been held, no member of the Fine Gael group had seconded any of her motions in the council.
“Who benefitted most, from my motions being blocked by my own group, in the months leading up to a general election in which I was a candidate?” she asked.
“Fine Gael spent a lot of time and resources convincing me that I was the type of person they wanted in the party and that my interest in transparent and accountable government was exactly the right fit for the party. “I have done exactly as I said I would do when I first agreed to contest the elections for the party. I believe a fair and thorough investigation of the events leading up to my motion of no confidence in the Mayor will expose the old boys club that exists in politics. Despite no investigations yet resulting from complaints to HQ by myself and my supporters previously, I am more than happy to have the opportunity to participate fully in this investigation.
“I am ever hopeful that a fair and thorough investigation, at national level, of the local events leading up to this motion, will highlight the party’s commitment to transparency and accountability for all public representatives including their own, irrespective of how long-serving or established.
“A full transparent investigation holding all representatives accountable can only enhance the reputation of the party that espouses these core democratic values. Anything else would be a whitewash.”
