Laois councillor accused of rudeness in demanding documents
A Laois councillor who wants lengthy documents to be sent further ahead of council meetings to read them fully, was accused of rudeness in a bitter exchange at the monthly council meeting on Monday April 24.
The monthly meeting dealt with two long documents for councillors to consider, the draft 2022 Annual Report, and the monthly management report. The first is 108 pages long, the second 32 pages.
Fine Gael Cllr Aisling Moran said that two days ahead is not enough.
Sinn Féin Cllr Aidan Mullins supported her request.
"Can you send the larger documents like the managers report a week earlier?" he asked.
However Fianna Fáil Cllr Paschal McEvoy disagrees.
"I don't think you should have control," he said to Cllr Moran.
"You probably don't go through it," she replied.
"You're at it again," Cllr McEvoy retorted.
"Give me the information one week before. Paschal only needs two days," Cllr Moran declared.
The Cathaoirleach Cllr Thomasina Connell then intervened.
"Take that back about Cllr McEvoy, it's very rude," she said.
"This is bullying," Cllr Moran claimed.
The Director of Services responsible is Donal Brennan. He said that "if possible" documents will be sent further in advance.
That bitter exchange had followed two others, minutes into the meeting, both initiated by Cllr Moran's requests.
She had first asked the Cathaoirleach if she could add two items to the agenda, as requested by email to Cllr Connell four days previously. Cllr Connell told her she could not, and said those items are best submitted as motions, refusing to let Cllr Moran speak about them.
Cllr Moran then interrupted a proposal to sell a plot of council land, to request details of the pricing.
She asked that the reasons for selling, the name of the valuer and how prices are determined, all included in every land sale put to councillors, in the interests of transparency. The Director of Services for Finance Gerry Murphy noted her request but said this would not be carried out.
The Cathaoirleach had added that she did not wish to see people buying small pieces of land "lumbered" with the cost of a land evaluation.