At Tramore Town Council’s May meeting, Maxine Keoghan got both barrels from her Fine Gael party colleague Ann Marie Power, angered by her persistence in publicly airing concerns over water quality issues and thereby generating negative publicity for the resort.
Cllr Keoghan had been assured by Town Manager Brian White at the April meeting that water quality in Tramore was second to none and its beach was ‘the safest and best in Ireland’.
He further insisted that the town’s sewage went through a modern, state of the art treatment plant and no untreated sewage was seeping into the bay.
He said the EPA, health authorities and County Council were engaged as a team in ensuring the best standards applied and, clearly annoyed, he added that he was unhappy the issue was being repeatedly raised in public, giving cause for unjustified fears and potentially damaging tourism.
But despite that, Cllr Keoghan, at this month’s meeting, sought the Manager’s response to an EPA report entitled Waste Water Complaint Investigation Report (relating to the Back Strand) which, she maintained, he had received in late March.
Narcissism
But Mr White said he had not seen any such report and repeated the assurances he delivered a month previously. He also advised Cllr Keoghan that if she had queries on such matters there were local Council sources who could provide answers, without having the matter debated, yet again, in public.
At that stage Cllr Power interjected to say she supported the Manager ‘150 per cent’. She accused Cllr Keoghan of thinking of herself rather than the town’s welfare and also of ‘narcissism’.
Of the other two Fine Gael members, Lola O’Sullivan remained quiet but Tom Raine backed Cllr Power’s stance, telling Cllr Keoghan there was no justification for creating such negative vibes on a monthly basis.
Cllr Keoghan said she was simply seeking a response to an EPA report already in the public domain.
