IT is not the role of councillors in the Adare-Rathkeale district to be a “peacekeeping movement”, said Fine Gael councillor Adam Teskey after recent calls to withhold a proposed General Municipal Allocation (GMA).
In March, an allocation of €3,000 from Cllr Teskey’s GMA was adopted, and seconded by Cllr Ger Ward (FF), towards hedge-cutting and maintenance for Knockfierna Heritage Society.
However, a dispute arose at the April meeting when Fine Gael councillor Stephen Keary explained that Council members had agreed that no more GMA monies would be made available to Knockfierna Heritage Society until “the two committees resolved their issues”.
Cllr Teskey, who was not present in person at this meeting, deemed this decision an “unprecedented” move and was not in agreement that funding be withheld. He insisted that this money be sanctioned and authorised, but Cllr Keary pointed out that Council members were advised not to give money “to either side” until alleged issues have been resolved.
At last month’s district meeting, the decision went to a vote, with Cllr Teskey managing to secure the GMA funding with the support of Cllr Ger Ward (FF) and Cllr Tommy Hartigan (IND).
Speaking to the Limerick Post, Cllr Teskey took the view that it is not councillors’ role to get involved in disputes.
“What I would say is that to push the municipal district as the peacemaking movement, that’s not our role, it’s not our job. Our job is to help those who come to us, and I thought that it was political opportunism that was sought by my area colleagues against me,” the Fine Gael man claimed.
“I thought it was totally inappropriate. I thought it was conduct of which I have never seen or witnessed before. And to quote the late Taoiseach, it was conduct unbecoming.
“We do not have a statutory authority to force or encourage groups to amalgamate by waving money in front of them. There’s rivalry groups in every walk of life, in the GAA clubs, in political parties. There are differences, everyone has differences, and it’s through differences that you achieve things by compromise,” he said.
Cllr Teskey admits to being “infuriated” by his Adare-Rathkeale colleagues’ objection to his discretionary expenditure allocation to a volunteer group a month after he proposed it and got it duly seconded and agreed upon.
“So, as you can imagine and appreciate, I was infuriated at the fact that we are elected to serve the people, and, in my own opinion, it is to help out in any shape or form any community group that comes to us, if we can, within the law.
“I’ve been involved in that hill since I was a boy, and I know the ins and outs of it. Some other councillors wouldn’t ever put their toes as much in the walkway there and they seem to know all about it overnight, but I’m glad that the money has now been sanctioned,” he concluded.
– Local Democracy Reporting Scheme