Fury over ida snub to westmeath second class citizen councillors

County Councillors in Westmeath have accused the IDA of treating them like “second class citizens”.

They were reacting to a letter from the IDA snubbing their request for a meeting.

Read out at Monday’s meeting of the Mullingar Municipal District, the letter stated that when the IDA shortly appoints a “dedicated regional business development manager for the midlands”, that manager will meet with the CEO of Westmeath County Council .

The letter ignored the request of councillors that the IDA either send a representative to meet the members, or meet a delegation from the council.

The contents were read aloud to members of the Mullingar Municipal District by cathaoirleach, Ken Glynn.

Cllr Andrew Duncan – who was behind the original proposal that the IDA be invited to a meeting  – was angry.

“We really need to send back a reply and be very clear in our disappointment with them,” said Cllr Duncan.

Support came from Cllr Aidan Davitt, who quoted from a report in the “Tuam Herald” outlining how the IDA was prepared to meet the local authority in Tuam.

“We’re being treated like second class citizens. It’s not good enough,” said Cllr Davitt.

Cllr Glynn agreed with Cllr Duncan’s suggestion that the council write back to the IDA.

“Under no circumstances are we accepting that,” he said.

“I’m proposing we write to them and ask them to meet the members in the chamber at either the July meeting or the September meeting, and under no circumstances do we want a lot of blarney in their response,” he stated.

Cllr Sorca Clarke agreed the councillors were being treated like second class citizens.

“We need to have a firm policy in place of what we want from the IDA,” she said.

Cllr Davitt supported this, and said the IDA should be asked why they appear to have a different policy in different areas.

Cllr Mick Dollard said the members of the Mullingar Municipal District were being treated “with total disdain”.

“I feel we have been let down by some of our national politicians,” he stated, suggesting that members look at how Tullamore, Longford and Athlone have fared.

It wasn’t the fault of the councillors that IDA had brought nothing to Mullingar, he indicated, saying that councillors had  been discussing the need for an industry “for years and years”.

He also mused that it might be the case that the IDA had not wanted to meet councillors as they did not want the media reporting on them.

Cllr Paul Daly said the letter was “a flowery way of saying ‘go away and don’t be annoying us’”.

Cllr Glynn said that Deputy Robert Troy had worked hard to get an IDA firm to Mullingar.