McCarthy 'disgusted' at colleagues' rejection

Posted in: General News | Read Comments (0)

Veteran Ards alderman, the Alliance party's Kieran McCarthy has spoken of his disgust at being rejected by his council colleagues to take up a top civic position for the eighth time.

At last week's annual general meeting of the local authority, Mr McCarthy lost out to the Democratic Unionist Party's Councillor Mervyn Oswald who was elected to the position of Deputy Mayor.

Mr Oswald has retired from his position as a Director within Ards Borough Council when he was in charge of the Ards abattoir. He now works in the constituency office of Strangford MLA, Simon Hamilton. Proposing Mr Oswald for the position, Mr Hamilton noted his qualities of loyalty, ability, roots in the community and available time.

Seconding this nomination, Alderman Jim Shannon spoke of the contribution Mr Oswald had made to the Council and to council meetings.

Proposing Mr McCarthy for the position, Councillor Jim McBriar noted that of the group of councillors elected in 1985 still serving, Mr McCarthy was the only one who hadn't been in the position of Mayor. Believing that certain other parties within the council felt that MLA's shouldn’t be promoted to the position of Mayor or Deputy Mayor, he reminded them there were years when Mr McCarthy was proposed as Deputy Mayor when he wasn’t an MLA.

"He is a hard worker for this Council and for the area he represents – the Ards peninsula," Mr McBriar underlined.

Seconding Mr McBriar, Councillor Alan McDowell emphasised Mr McCarthy’s 25 years of service to the Council. "He has never had the opportunity of becoming Mayor or Deputy Mayor," he said. "A number of other councillors elected in 1985 have become mayor for a second time.

"I would urge that this Council follow other council's policy by rotating the positions of Mayor and Deputy Mayor and senior positions within the Council," Mr McDowell commented. "It is disappointing that there is some sort of deal which seems to preclude the Alliance party, the Traditional Unionist Voice and the Social Democratic Labour Party from major positions. I hope at some stage that policy may be reversed and we can all participate and give our best for the people of this area."

Read the full report in this week's Chronicle.