This article is from page 2 of the 2008-12-02 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
WOLFE Tones camogie club, which made a complaint about the alloca- tion of funding to the Shannon Let- sure Centre for a skateboard park, is to consult with its legal advisors to ascertain what its options are.
The Standards in Public Office Commission ruled that Councillor Patricia McCarthy (Ind), who is a member of the board of the leisure centre, did not have a case to answer, relating to the allocation of €50,000 by the town council to the leisure centre.
The Wolfe Tones camogie club is- sued a statement, saying it was “natu-
rally disappointed” that its complaint had not been successful “at this junc- ture”.
“Now is a time for us, as representa- tives of Wolfe Tones camogie club, to take stock. In the intervening period we will consult with our legal advi- sors to see what further recourse may be available,’ said the statement.
“We have worked tirelessly to con- struct the very first dedicated cam- ogie park in Ireland. While we have received some public funding, for which we are most grateful, most of our costs have been met by local fun- draising efforts,’ it stated.
The statement pointed out that after meeting with the Ombudsman Emily
O’Reilly at an open day in Ennis, the decision was taken to make a formal complaint to the Standards in Public Office Commission. “At all times we have acted within our rights as citi- zens and taxpayers,” it stated.
At a meeting of Shannon Town Council last week, several council- lors expressed their opinions on the issue. Councillor Geraldine Lambert (FF) said she was at a loss as to why the matter went as far as the Stand- ards in Public Office Commission.
“Tt certainly didn’t warrant the pub- lic lives of some people and the pub- lic careers of officials of this council to be held up to scrutiny,” she said.
She said the matter had caused
stress for several people and she was dismayed at the turn something fairly straightforward had taken.
Councillor Tony Mulcahy (FG) asked the mayor of Shannon Cllr Gerry Flynn if he had sought legal advice on the matter prior to becom- ing mayor. Cllr Flynn said he had sought personal legal advice and he could arrange for councillors to see a copy of it.
“IT knew there was a possibility I would be coming in as mayor so | did seek legal opinion. I did nothing wrong. If I had the same opportunity again, I would do it again. I’m glad for Cllr McCarthy that the verdict did come out in her favour,’ he said.