CITY MANAGER STORMS OUT OF COUNCIL MEETING

Date Published: 14-Dec-2009

City Manager Joe McGrath stormed out of a meeting at the Council Chamber this evening in defence of Council staff that came under the scrutiny of a number of City Councillors. Before the draft Corporate Plan was discussed by the Council, Councillor Colette Connolly proposed that a more efficent service be put in place for the public and their representatives. She said many voice mail accounts had yet to be activated and calls were not being returned to Councillors. Councillor Padraig Conneelly also slammed what he considered to be inefficiencies at City Hall alleging that one particular official had refused to lend him his company phone. He also accused Council staff of blocking their mobile phone numbers so that Councillors could not have them. In an explosive response, the City Manager said it was a shameful state of affairs that the Councillors had decided to have a pop at his staff considering the enormous pressure they are currentlt under following a 20 percent cut in numbers.He then stormed out of the Council Chamber in protest of what he considered to be a cheap shot at his staff by Councillors Colette Connolly and Padraig Conneelly.