The former Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council Seamus O’Domhnaill has alleged that there was an “orchestrated” and “pointed” campaign mounted against him regarding the LIS (Local Improvement Scheme) controversy.
Speaking at the count centre for the Glenties Electoral Area tonight, he said:
“There was without a doubt an orchestrated campaign, both political and personal in the last ten days or two weeks and the media allowed themselves to be used and exploited. But all that said, and I didn’t get a fair hearing… I accept the decision.”
He was first elected as a councillor in 2009, before taking the reins from former Cathaoirleach Gerry McMonagle (SF) last June.
Five years ago during the last Local Election, he topped the poll.
He arrived at the count centre at around 9pm, after losing his seat at 1,222 votes on the seventh count of this year’s election.
He tells Donegal Daily that it has been a difficult few weeks.
“Look when I was in there for ten years… I did everything I could. I think that I served the electorate… as well as I could. I had the great honour of being chairman of the council for the last year… I done that as well as I could.”
When asked if he would run again in the next election he said it is “too early to say”, but would consider running “down the line.”
His priority now, is enjoying spending time with his wife and two children.
When asked about how he was supported throughout his political campaign he said that “people are nice and people are genuine and people are sorry for me on a very personal level.”
“I can’t put into words the level of anguish and hurt that I feel for not me personally, because I will get over it, but for supporters of mine and family members of mine… they shouldn’t have been put through that.”
“Not all the facts of certain stories were always out in the media… it’s difficult for me to comprehend the attacks that were made in a personal capacity on members of my team, my supporters and particularly my family. And if that’s what politics is about…”
“I didn’t make personal attacks ever in my ten years in politics on any individual”, he said, adding that he doesn’t believe that this is what politics in Donegal should be about.
He described the alleged campaign against him as being “pointed”.
“It was a very pointed campaign I suppose, the LIS story, which has gone on since 2017. Some media outlets were happy to run it three and four times, from 2017, [running] the same story but always insinuating that I had done a wrong-doing somewhere.”
He said that people can make up their own minds as to whether the story had a political motivation behind it, but added that “I am not going to cast aspersions upon anyone, that is not who I am.”
If there is an investigation, he says he is certain that it will show that everything was “above board” and that “I had no hand, act, or part in it.”
“I had wanted an opportunity to be able to represent the people of this area because I believe it is the best area in the whole world.
“The people have spoken and I accept what they have said and I will take stock of where I will go from now on,” he concluded.
He wishes those who were elected the best of luck.
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