Donegal county councillor John O’Donnell is coming under increasing pressure over his position on the local authority.
It comes after the Standards in Public Office yesterday found that the Kilmacrennan man contravened ethics legislation after he appeared on an RTE Investigates programme.
The programme was fronted by a fake reporter who pretended to be working for an energy company seeking political lobbying for a windfarm to be placed in Donegal.
Independent councillor Micheal Mac Giolla Easbguig yesterday called for him to resign his seat.
Now Sinn Fein councillors on the local authority have added to that call.
Sinn Féin council leader Marie Therese Gallagher said Cllr O’Donnell has breached the ethics code under three separate sections of the local government act.
They said Cllr O’Donnell must consider his position.
Cllr Gallagher said “Cllr O’Donnell by his actions in the RTE Investigates programme has taken local politics into disrepute, and today’s findings clearly state that John O’Donnell acted against the code of conduct he himself signed up to.
“We the Sinn Féin Councillors in Donegal are now calling on Cllr John O’Donnell to resign his seat on the Council. Unfortunately, this is not the first time SIPO has found against public representatives in this county, and we in Sinn Féin have consistently called all those to resign their seats on Donegal County Council.
“The action of these rogue councillors is reprehensible. For integrity and faith in local elected representatives to be restored we feel the only acceptable course of action is for Cllr O’Donnell to resign.”
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