Fianna Fáil on warpath over ‘aloof’ City Hall management  

Bradley Bytes – A Political Column with Dara Bradley

The Soldiers of Destiny are on a war footing – and preparing to strike back at management of Galway City Council.

Fianna Fáil’s five city councillors are spitting fire with the ‘powers that be’ at City Hall, who, they say, are ignoring their concerns . . . and keeping their distance.

FF claims officials are aloof, and trying to avoid all contact with humble councillors, which is reflected in decisions being taken without consultation and without taking on board elected members’ concerns.

The tensions have been bubbling over for a couple of years under Chief Executive Brendan McGrath’s reign; but the recent decision by the Council to agree to road closures in the city centre this August – as reported on page one of Galway City Tribune last Friday – has brought matters to a head.

“Our view is that they’re trying to do everything their way, all of the time. They have no interest in developing a relationship with councillors. This is a new Council; and I can tell you we’re not going to put up with it,” said Michael John Crowe, FF’s ‘Chief of Staff’ on the Council.

Fighting words, but he went further. “We’re at war with senior management . . . we have respect for the roles that they play, and we treat management with respect, but some of them, to put it mildly, don’t reciprocate. That is our view, the Fianna Fáil view,” he said.

Michael John didn’t mince his words either when he said that the management team at City Hall, “only comes to Councillors when they need a vote [passed]”.

“That’s not on . . . we respect their role but there needs to be mutual respect. It is our view that they don’t, that some of them in senior management, don’t want to deal with councillors,” he added.

The introduction of Councillor Liaison Officers within Council departments has worked well in certain cases, but it is a bone of contention.

Fianna Fáil believes that the system of liaison officers is just a ‘buffer’ to keep Directors of Services at a distance from having to deal with the great unwashed councillors.

“There’s no accountability with some of them, but it won’t continue, mark my words,” added MJ.

With FF already at war with the ruling rainbow pact, and now at loggerheads with management of City Hall, an autumn and winter of discontent could lie ahead.

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*For more Bradley Bytes see this week’s Galway City Tribune