14 July 2003: Kildare County Council lost three of its members last week - including deputies Emmet Stagg and Sean Power pictured above - because of the introduction of the dual mandate rules which prohibit TDs from sitting on local councils.
The three were Deputies Jack Wall (Lab), Emmet Stagg (Lab) and Sean Power (FF). Deputy Sean O’Fearghail (FF) said he would be making a statement on his future intentions in September.
Cllr Timmy Conway who recently left the PDs for Fine Gael pronounced the dual mandate ‘a crazy idea’. “It deprives us of so many experienced members,” he said. “It’s a terrible loss to the community, to the county and to us because we need people with their feet on the ground and who know what is going on in their communities.”
Cllr Catherine Murphy (Ind) didn’t believe there could be Local Government reform without Oireachtas reform. “We will be losing an awful lot of experience. It does cause quite a difference and leaves a gap.”
The new Government initiative was also lambasted by FF Cllr John O’Neill who called it ‘a very retrograde step and not a reform of Local Government’. “It’s very important we have people to the right standard. It’s wrong that the dual mandate is dropped.”
The three deputies were wished good luck in their future careers by outgoing Mayor Jim Reilly. He said Deputy Stagg ‘was very constructive and had the people of Kildare at heart’. He had always found Deputy Wall to be ‘a gentleman in politics and very helpful and courteous’. He added that the people of Kildare and the Athy electoral Area had come first on his list.
He also praised the work of FF Deputy Sean Power.
PD senators John Dardis and Kate Walsh will be leaving the Council in September.
