Re-elected county councillor Frank McBrearty said newly elected councillors such as Declan Meehan and Martin Scanlon can bring back “accountability” to Donegal County Council.
The Raphoe man was speaking after being re-elected to the council in the Lifford/Stranorlar Electoral area once again.
He thanked all those who supported him along the way saying he was ‘vindicated in the court of public opinion.’
But he said the real works starts now adding that the defective blocks issue must be their “top priority.”
He said that Independents like Micheal Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig, Declan Meehan, Martin Scanlon, Michael McBride, Frank McBrearty and others could “bring about change, transparency and accountability back to County House, Lifford over the next five years, with the help of the 100% Redress Party.”
He added: “Only time will tell in the coming weeks as the political parties will be doing the numbers for the makeup of the new Council and by God this will be a wakeup call for all the new candidates that have been elected. Justice will be delivered.”
He again thanked all those who had helped get him re-elected.
He added: “A special mention must go to Kevin Connolly, Eamonn McConnell, my brother John, son Frankie, mum Rosalind, dad Frank Snr, and my Director of Elections Joe Monaghan who is my biggest supporter over the last 15 years, who I love very much.
“I also want to thank Joe’s wife Sarah for her patience over the last five weeks.
“Not forgetting my Mum’s family, the McQueen’s in Ireland and Scotland; my brothers Andy, Eddie and their families in Chicago; and my sister Maria and her family.
“We would also like to thank Bizz Print, An Post and certain aspects of the media who treated me with the same respect they did other candidates,” said Cllr McBrearty.
Cllr McBrearty said he could not do his job “without the support and love of his wife Trish, children and granddaughters, who I love more than life itself” and his father in-law Patrick Dunne.
“I want to remember one of my biggest supporters and great friend Daniel Gallagher who sadly is no longer with us and Michael O’Boyle my first ever director of Elections in 2009 (RIP),” said Cllr McBrearty.
“I will never forget my team of originals, Colm McBrearty, Anna McCreedy, and Elva Gallagher who are still with us.”
Cllr McBrearty was emphatic the election had been about “change” “People certainly voted for that change in numbers,” he said, “especially in the Lagan Valley where I live and Finn Valley – known by all as East Donegal.
“The Independent Vote in these areas show the dissatisfaction with the political parties Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein as their traditional vote base collapsed.
“The Independent vote that Martin Scanlan, Charles Ward, Niall McConnell, Rebecca McDaid and myself got certainly shows that people have had enough of the same old, same old Political Establishment.
“The message given to us is that the people want accountability in Lifford and that is the job we have been given. “The hard work is now only beginning, and that hard work begins with helping the most vulnerable first.
My work really begins now, and the Judicial Review is my top priority for all those who are destroyed by the defective concrete scandal labelled incorrectly as the Mica scandal,” said Cllr McBrearty.
Cllr McBrearty said we have been given the job of holding Donegal County Council Executive and Government to account for their “failure to date in the defective concrete scandal.” He added: “By God I will certainly do that.
“I look forward to working with all the new Cllr’s over the next 5 years as we have a lot of work to do, especially for those destroyed by defective concrete.
“The voters have given the 100% Redress Party a mandate and they have put their trust in them to deliver on their promise to hold those in power to account within Local and National Government.
“I look forward to working with them and others over the next 5 years, especially in delivering Justice to all affected by defective concrete.
“Top priority must be the defective concrete scandal and Donegal County Council must be held to account for the down grading of engineers recommendations, which are based on science, not fiction.
“The truth also must be told why Donegal County Council who assisted the NSAI in designing the defective concrete Mica standard I.S. 465 protocol, which incorrectly blames Mica Freeze Thaw as the cause, when this could not be further from the truth,” said Cllr McBrearty.
