This article is from page 1 of the 2009-03-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 1 JPG
A GROUP of five councillors are de- ciding the future of 25,000 people in Ennis, a local protest has heard.
Fine Gael councillor and local businessman Johnny Flynn hit out at a party colleague and four other En- nis councillors at yesterday’s march organised by the Ennis Forum.
He alleged that Tommy Brennan (Ind), Peter Considine (FF), Joe Rei- dy (FF), Mary Coote Ryan (FG) and Frankie Neylon (Ind), are controlling policies that are “anti business and anti-jobs”.
“T’m four and a half years over in that chamber. I’m sick to the teeth of listening to five people who are running this town,’ Cllr Flynn told protestors outside the offices of En- nis Town Council.
“A group of five people are deciding the future of 25,000 people. There are nine councillors, five of them hold power. They are Tommy Bren- nan, Frankie Neylon, Mary Coote Ryan, Joe Reidy and Peter Consid- ine. Those five people are deciding on policies for the last four and a half years of my experience in the cham- ber. Five people are voting and con- trolling the policies of this town.”
Cllr Flynn, a member of the Ennis
Forum, addressed representatives from 150 businesses.
Architect and Ennis Forum com- mittee member Michael Leahy told the crowd that the protest was taking place because “businesses in Ennis are tired of not being listened to”.
He said the forum was established in response to the perception that En- nis 1s “losing its status as a county town”.
Mr Leahy said increases in com- mercial rates put forward by the council in its 2009 budget were “un-
acceptable”.