THERE was huge tension between councillors and Mayor John Moran last week when they met to discuss his ambitious mayoral plan.
Time, Mayor Moran pointed out, is of the essence on the approach to Budget 2025, and was clearly frustrated when the meeting was deferred to accommodate workshops and further scrutiny of his vision.
A post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) after the meeting ended clearly rubbed salt in the wounds of councillors who were already less than enamoured with Mayor Moran’s grand schemes.
Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan told the Limerick Post in the lead up to last week’s meeting that she believed the mayoral programme is setting councillors up for failure – a comment Mayor Moran harked back to at County Hall last week, reminding councillors that “I do read the papers”.
A post by Mayor Moran on X after the charged meeting has now irked some councillors even further.
“I am working to come back tomorrow with a plan to get everyone back on the same page for Limerick,” Moran posted. “More anon.”
The Mayor’s post continued that he “just wanted to make the point today that it is important to note that many councillors voted with me and argued to oppose the adjournment. They did not need more time”.
“The others whom I leave to defend their decision if they wish were @fiannafailparty @FineGael and the @SocDemsLK. If meetings cannot be recoded (which I support) people deserve to know. I want for now to thank those who opposed the motion to adjourn the meeting including @ElenaSecas and her party colleagues. Hopefully we’ll soon be back on the same page.”
Social Democrats councillor Shane Hickey-O’Mara, who had to leave the online meeting portal early to attend the funeral of a friend, hit back at Moran’s post.
“Hi @johnmorana1, I was present online for the first hour then I went to my friend’s funeral. I am now getting angry messages from people so thank you to everyone for lumping us in with FF & FG. We’ve had ample time to look at your draft programme; the deferral is ridiculous,” Cllr Hickey-O’Mara responded via X.
Mayor Moran responded to the Soc Dems councillor, via X, that “everyone can have difficulties like that occur suddenly but this was a big priority for Limerick and a meeting had been called with notice to deal just with that.”
“It would at least have been nice to have heard that message from your party in a strong contribution to the debate. That might even have helped sway some of the others. As it was and I can be corrected by this no position was given by anyone from the Soc Dems. And imagine what might have happened if the vote had been lost by only one.”
Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan’s election campaign manager Karen Sugrue during June’s mayoral elections deemed the Mayor’s comments as egregiously unprofessional, inappropriate, and unacceptable.
“Are you aware that it appears as if you are attempting to use your platform and position to put pressure on elected representatives?” she responded to the Mayor’s X post.
