*Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) and Cllr Ann Norton (IND). Photograph: Eamon Ward
FINE GAEL representatives in Ennis could face potential sanctions if a reported contest for the Deputy Mayor in the Ennis Municipal District proceeds.
Thursday’s AGM will see Cllr Pat Daly (FF) elected as the Mayor of the Ennis Municipal District but rising tensions among councillors have led to the potential of a contest for the role of Deputy Mayor.
Since the agreement of a power sharing arrangement in Clare County Council between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Technical Group of Independents, the Green Party and Sinn Féin which sees a variety of roles shared among the twenty eight councillors, there has been no surprise contests when it comes to the AGM of the Council or any of the four Municipal District.
That is to be tested this week with Cllr Johnny Flynn’s (FG) nomination as Deputy Mayor set to be challenged by Cllr Ann Norton (IND). Cllr Flynn has the support of Cllr Pat Daly (FF) and Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF) but his party colleagues Cllr Paul Murphy (FG) and Cllr Mary Howard (FG) are undecided at the present moment.
Were the Fine Gael representatives to not support Cllr Flynn, it would send ructions through the party at a local level with one councillor telling The Clare Echo they could face disciplinary action.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Cllr Flynn detailed that it would be “very unexpected” if there was a contest against him for the Deputy Mayor’s role. “The agreement has stood that we would have a Fianna Fáil Mayor and a Fine Gael Deputy Mayor, there is nothing definite as to what will happen but it would be highly irregular if there was a contest”. He added, “I haven’t seen any written proposal or nobody has rang me to say they are proposing somebody else, the agreement has been honoured for the last five years”.
Recent exchanges in the Chamber over plans for Ennis 2040 were cited by Cllr Flynn as a reason his colleagues may oppose him. “The political climate in the Ennis MD is quite tense with the disagreement on the building on Abbey St car park and the proposed building on Francis St site unless it is connected to that and my opposition to those”. He claimed that the original date for the AGM was changed after it became known he could not attend the meeting in-person.
On Wednesday morning, Cllr Norton told The Clare Echo her health would determine if she opted to stand against Cllr Flynn for Deputy Mayor. “With the way I’m feeling at the minute, my life has always been health as the number one priority, whether it is me or Nicole I’ve always had that put forward, if I’m not well tomorrow I won’t be there”.
She argued that Deputy Mayor was not an “official role”. The Barefield woman outlined, “To be honest we’ve been talking for the last couple of weeks or so, different councillors, everyone was saying who would or wouldn’t be interested, it doesn’t bother me either way if I was or wasn’t, the Mayor of Ennis is the position or title that is up tomorrow, we’ve negotiated those positions in 2019”.
“I believe this is Pat Daly’s year, I think Pat will be very much on the ground for the whole year, he has done this before, he has been the Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council before, he is well experienced, at the end of the day the rest of the councillors will always support him regardless of who is named Deputy Mayor, everyone will be there to support him and do what needs to be done because it will be a very busty 12 months with the election,” Cllr Norton added.
Incoming Mayor of the Ennis MD, Cllr Daly was hopeful the agreement with Cllr Flynn would be honoured. “I’m looking forward to taking over as Mayor of Ennis, I had approached Johnny Flynn two years ago to be my Deputy and I hope that will be the case”.
Speaking on Tuesday evening, Cllr Murphy stated, “I haven’t been approached by anybody for support”. On reports of a contest for the role of Deputy Mayor, he responded, “this is news to me”. He added, “there has been various ways of sorting it out over the years, at one stage the incoming Mayor would have picked the Deputy Mayor, then it was the outgoing Mayor whop became Deputy Mayor, it has been very loose over the years. I haven’t met any of my Ennis colleagues but I was of the opinion that I was getting nominated”.
No decision had been made by Cllr Howard on what way she intended to vote, she told The Clare Echo on Tuesday night. “I have heard about the contest but I have too much going on at the moment to get involved in the drama,” she commented. The Ennis woman said she had not spoken to either Cllr Flynn or Cllr Norton on the matter.
Incoming Mayor of Clare, Cllr Joe Cooney (FG) who chairs the Fine Gael grouping of councillors said the party was working to ascertain if the reports posed a worry to Cllr Flynn’s chances of becoming Deputy Mayor.
Removing councillors from the party “is not something we’re looking at,” he said on possible disciplinary action that may be taken against Cllr Murphy or Cllr Howard if they did not back their party colleague. “It is important to sit down around the table and address any issues if there are some and get them sorted out. We’ve a power sharing arrangement in place for the good of the county, Clare County Council and councillors in Clare, it is important that it is maintained,” he said.
Such a meeting is likely to take place on Thursday morning between Fine Gael representatives in Clare prior to the Ennis MD AGM.
