Sinn Féin County Councillor John Brady has said that the retirement of the Wicklow County Manager Eddie Sheehy provides the County an opportunity to rebuild the Councils reputation and start portraying a positive image of it again. Brady has also called for an inquiry into Sheehy's controversial 14 years in Wicklow which led to him being described as the most disgraced civil servants in Ireland.
Speaking after getting the news of the County Managers retirement Councillor John Brady who had previously called on Sheehy to go as County Manager and had tabled two separate motions of no confidence in him, said "Whilst I welcome the fact that the disgraced Eddie Sheehy is to go as the Wicklow County Manger in April, it's unfortunate that he has managed to stay in office for so long, having brought Wicklow County Council into disrepute on so many occasions. It's also unfortunate that he will probably walk away with a golden handshake and a big fat pension, also the possibility of entering the retirement home for County Managers, Irish Water."
"In Sheehy's 14 years at the helm of Wicklow County council he brought the council to national prominence for all the wrong reasons. Not only were many councillors and TDs before the courts due to him, in 2007 Sheehy attempted to remove three councillors from the council and they had to go to the Supreme Court in 2010 to stop Sheehy removing them."
"There were many controversies under Sheehy's watch, however the worst came in 2007 when two firefighters died tackling a blaze in Bray. Wicklow County Council eventually pleaded guilty to breaches of health and safety and was fined, however Sheehy's arrest as part of the investigation and his refusal to say that he or the Council fully cooperated with the investigation led to serious questions being asked. The Council offices were also raided by the Gardaí as part of the investigation, the first time any local authority offices were raided by police in the history of the state."
Cllr Brady continued "Eddie Sheehy had two motions of no confidence tabled against him, one in 2010 and the second in 2013. In my opinion Sheehy should have been gone from Wicklow County Council a long time ago, he has been described as the most disgraced civil servant in Ireland. I believe there should be an inquiry into his 14 years in Wicklow and how the County was managed by him."
Brady concluded by saying "Eddie Sheehy leaving gives us an ideal chance to start fresh and to rebuild the councils reputation. I look forward to working with the new County Manager once they are appointed. It's essential that they work for the betterment of the County and listens to the views of all 32 members of the Council and not just the select few in the inner sanctum."
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