Sinn Fein ‘assassination’ remark sparks chaos
THE monthly meeting of Louth County Council descended into chaos when the Chief Executive Ms Joan Martin left the chamber following accusations by Sinn Féin Cllr Tomas Sharkey that the council was ‘dysfunctional’
And the meeting was suspended for around 45 minutes after a heated exchange between Director of Service Frank Pentony and Cllr Sharkey, with the former Dundalk Town Clerk declaring: ‘I do not take lightly being assassinated by Sinn Féin at the top table and they are good at that and always were.’
The chamber erupted into bedlam with Cllr Tomas Sharkey accusing him of making an ‘absolutely disgusting and disgraceful’ comment which defamed all ten Sinn Fein members, and that there could be no working relationship with the officials.
The outburst came after a testy meeting as councillors questioned the Chief Executive who had stated that funding had been found to make up the shortfall in revenue resulting from the suspension of pay-parking in Drogheda, after the by-laws had been challenged.
She explained that a review of the council’s finance at the closing of accounts for 2017 had identified a surplus of €250,000 and that further money was due from the Irish Public Bodies.
She refuted claims by Cllr Kevin Callan that she had mislead the council during the budgetary process and also told Cllr Frank Godfrey that it was ‘incorrect’ that they had collected any money illegally from pay-parking.
She had got legal advice that the bylaws were ‘unsatisfactory’ but as that legal advice had been sought by her as Chief Executive she was not going to make it available to members.
Cllr Tomas Sharkey argued that the real issue was one of governance and decision making. He questioned the Council’s risk management auditing, citing examples, and claimed that the local authority was ‘dysfunctional’ and it was only a matter of time before they ended up before the Public Accounts Committee.
Ms Martin refuted any suggestion that the council was dysfunctional and asked him to withdraw his statement, which he refused to do.
The meeting was adjourned by chairman Cllr Colm Markey and when it resumed after the tea break, the Chief Executive left the chamber as the debate continued.
Cllr Sharkey refused to withdraw his comments, maintaining his stance that the council was dysfunctional.
It was then that Mr Pentony said: ‘I do not take it lightly being assassinated by Sinn Féin at the top table and they are good at that and always were.’
Cllr Sharkey branded the remark ‘absolutely disgusting and disgraceful’ and a slight on all the Sinn Fein members. He claimed it showed that was Louth County Council was being managed by people with those views. As the chairman asked him to stop speaking, he declared ‘We have legal rights not to be called assassins and murderers.’
The meeting was again adjourned and as it resumed some 45 minutes later, Mr Pentony said he wished to withdraw unreservedly the remarks, made in the heat of the moment, and to apologise to anyone he may have offended.
Cllr Sharkey said he believed that each and every Sinn Fein member of the Louth County Council had been defamed as there was an allegation of criminal activity against them and he wouldn’t accept the apology. He wanted to hear from the Chief Executive that those remarks were not the view of the officials and would be dealt with through the proper procedures.
He then proposed an emergency motion requesting the Chief Executive to attend the rest of the meeting which was carried even though members heard that they had no authority to make the Chief Executive be in attendance.
Ms Martin didn’t attend the remainder of the meeting which continued for another two hours.