Chair of Wexford council vows to fight vote of no-confidence as fallout from meeting involving fuel protestors continues

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

The chairman of Wexford County Council (WCC) has vowed to defend himself in a "reasonable and fair” manner if a motion of no-confidence is tabled against him. In the wake of this week’s county council meeting, which led to two female councillors accusing fuel protestors sat in the gallery of “intimidatory” behaviour, Cathaoirleach Joe Sullivan of Fianna Fáil has come under criticism for not intervening on behalf of those who reported feeling threatened.

Up to 20 protestors attended the meeting and a small minority were audibly upset following councillors’ decision not to approve two motions “condemning” the government for its role in handling the week-long blockades.

After the protestors had left the council chamber, councillors Lisa McDonald and Vicky Barron expressed their frustration with Cllr Sullivan for allowing those in the public gallery to voice their discontent and stand up to take note of who was voting for and against the motions.

And this has led to the local political rumour mill going into overdrive, with suggestions a motion of no-confidence will be tabled against Cllr Sullivan at the next council meeting in May.

“I presume I will have an opportunity to defend that,” replied Cllr Sullivan when asked about the prospect of being ousted from his chairmanship. “If somebody wants to bring a motion of no confidence, that's entirely their decision. I can do very little about that. I can defend my position in a reasonable and fair manner. And that's all I can do.”

While it is believed that the discontent regarding Cllr Sullivan’s chairmanship can be traced back to his decision to shut down a debate regarding consent at the March meeting of WCC, Monday’s events were the tipping point for some councillors.

However, the Gorey councillor said he was unaware of the charged atmosphere during the meeting.

“I did not see anyone being intimidated, I did not hear any remarks,” he said referencing the acoustics in the chamber and how the gallery is positioned at the opposite end to where he sits. “For me to hear anything, it would have to be said quite loud. I have checked with the county secretary and the chief executive and I have asked them did they hear anything, and they didn't.

“During the break I spoke with Cllr Barron and she said to me that some of the protesters were glaring at some of the councillors. Now there's very little I can do about that. I can't go down and tell them to avert their eyes. It would be too much to expect me, from where I was sitting in the chamber, to know the direction everyone's eyes were looking.”

Informed a day prior to the meeting that some of the fuel protestors would be in attendance, Cllr Sullivan said he met with them before the meeting began and reminded them of the rules of the house.

“I did explain to them at the door, before they came in, that the procedure was that they are not to engage with the counsellors and not to speak. They could sit and listen and observe. And that was the only thing they could do. They didn't have any other role there,” he said.

During the meeting, as discussions regarding the motions and how to deal with them continued, Cllr Sullivan was asked to go into committee by his party colleague, Cllr Garry Laffan. By going into committee, Cllr Sullivan would have had to clear the room of all external parties, including members of the media and those in the gallery.

“I didn't know what that was (in relation to),” he says now. “How come no member stepped out of their seat, walked up to me, and told me an issue had arisen? If someone had walked up to me and said to me, ‘Joe, an issue has arisen down here, I'm uncomfortable and I am being intimidated’, of course I would have adjourned and dealt with the issue straight away.

“But I wasn't aware. I cannot read people's minds. I didn't know what they wanted to do."

The end result is a potential vote on whether to end Cllr Sullivan’s tenure as chairman, a vote which could see members of his own party vote against him. On the issue of votes and following party lines, Cllr Sullivan has, since taking the chair last year, repeatedly been out of sync with his Fianna Fáil colleagues.

Votes on the triple lock system, the Mercosur Deal, and whether local football clubs should be allowed to use the pitch at Gorey Town Park free of charge, have all seen the veteran councillor take an opposite view to his party colleagues, but he remains unrepentent and says he has adhered to the core principles of Fianna Fáil throughout his time as chair.

“The way I voted was more in tune with Fianna Fáil core values than the way things are being voted on at county and district level,” he insists. “My Fianna Fáil credentials are beyond question. And if the people who now have the power within Fianna Fáil in Wexford decide that they're going to take a different course of action, that's their prerogative as well, and there's very little I can do about it.

"If they're going to turn their back on the farmers, if they're going to turn their back on the school boys playing a bit of football, and turn their back on what was Fianna Fáil policy (triple lock) since the Defense Act of 1960, there’s very little I can do.”