‘I am now in a new seat here, it’s like getting into a new bed’ – Councillor Joe Queenan on adjusting to his Fianna Fail return

Councillor Joe Queenan has spoken about his decision to rejoin the Fianna Fail party having been an Independent for over ten years. Cllr Queenan, who was first elected to Sligo County Council in 1999 took the decision to resign from the Fianna Fail party in Decemner 2015 after being secretly filmed by RTE Prime Time Investigates as part of a report into planning and used an undercover reporter to interview him. Cllr Queenan has always denied any wrongdoing and resigned from the Fianna Fail party in the aftermath of the programme airing but maintained his seat on the local Council and continued to serve as an Independent councillor. Having moved seats prior to the start of the July meeting of Sligo County Council, meeting from his usual position beside Independent councillors to join his Fianna Fáil colleagues, he spoke to the meeting under ‘any other business’ saying: “I don’t think it is any secret that I have rejoined the Fianna Fáil party. “I have done that on a personal basis and I want to thank my fellow councillors in this council and the previous council who treated me with respect over the last 10 and a half years. I also want to thank the Chief Executive and staff in both councils. He then referred to the other independent councillors on the council. “I want to thank Cllr Casserly for her support over the last 10 years and wish her every success in the future. When I rang Cllr Clarke he was overjoyed with delight. I don’t know if he was happy for me, happy for Fianna Fáil or happy that he will be an independent who could mop up all from Castleconnor to Geevagh, but I wish him luck.” Cllr Queenan also referred to changes introduced to local electoral areas when he remarked, “When the commission done away with the local councils and corporation they also did away with the electoral area of west Sligo and that went under the radar. From the council’s formation west Sligo always had their own electoral area. Cllr Queenan continued, “When that change was made in 2014, at the next election in 2015, the people of west Sligo were determined to have elected members and the first preference vote in west Sligo, it definitely was 80% or more for candidates in west Sligo. “For the last 20 years or so myself and Cllr Michael Clarke have had that mandate and now that I am back in the fold where it all started for me, my priority is to west Sligo; it has to be because that is what the people want me to do. I intend to continue the good work with Cllr Michael Clarke and you Cathaoirleach (Cllr Dara Mulvey). We are the three people who got the highest vote in that area because we were left out in the cold electorally.” Cllr Queenan concluded by saying, “I am now in a new seat here, it’s like getting into a new bed, it might take me a while to get comfortable in it.” Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.