A KILLARNEY politician, who has served as a local authority representative for 40 years, has described the decision to scrap town councils as “disgusting”.
Cllr Seán O’Grady, who has confirmed his intention to withdraw from political life, said the local government reform act has the potential to significantly reduce Killarney’s ability to progress.
“We have lost our town council and mayoralty, our economic autonomy has been taken and the whole administrative structure that took decades to grow has been removed,” he complained.
Cllr O’Grady, who was first elected to the then Killarney Urban District Council in 1974, and has been a consistent vote-winner ever since, said the government’s decision to abolish the town councils will have a very negative long-term impact.
“As the prime tourist town in the country, what has been visited on Killarney is outrageous and disgusting, not just for the citizens of the town but for the whole south west of Ireland.
“The last occasion such destruction was visited on Killarney was when Cromwellian forces battered the walls of Ross Castle in 1649,” he said.
Cllr O’Grady pointed the finger of responsibility for cutting Killarney off “at the knees” at the government, the establishment parties and the executive of Kerry County Council.
The veteran politician, who resigned from the Labour Party last year following a dispute over policies, is currently campaigning on behalf of his brother, Donal, who is an independent candidate for the Kerry County Council elections.
