This article is from page 11 of the 2012-02-28 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 11 JPG
SHANNON Town Council member, Cllr Cathy McCafferty, has broken her silence outside the confines of the local authority chamber on her resignation from Sinn Féin that has left the party without any representation in Clare local government.
However, in issuing a statement about the controversy that has racked Sinn Féin since late 2011 after Cllr McCafferty was initially suspended and her husband Eugene McCafferty expelled from the party, she has declined to say whether she took her former party’s pledge before the 2009 local elections.
Sinn Féin authorities are adamant that Cllr McCafferty signed a pledge that she would vacate her seat on Shannon Town Council in the event of a parting of the ways between herself and the party.
“I think that it is common knowledge by now that I recently declared myself a non-party, independent Town Councillor,” said Cllr McCafferty in broaching the subject of her controversial exit from Sinn Féin party politics in a newspaper column in The Clare Courier .
“I have parted ways with Sinn Féin after a long number of years. It is not my intention to enter into a slagging match about this as I still have many friends in the party.
“For me, however, it was time to move on and I am very happy to continue to represent the people of Shannon who gave me a mandate in 2009.
“I would like to acknowledge the great support I have received from local people over the last number of weeks. This has been both humbling and very encouraging. Many have called me on the phone or texted me, but I been especially heartened by all of those people who have stopped me when out shopping or socialising to offer their encouragement and kind words of support.
“Contrary to the impression that might have been given otherwise, my situation is not unique; many others have parted ways with political parties in the past and many more will do so in the future.
“For me, I intend to honour the commitment I made when I was elected by continuing to work for a better Shannon and a fairer society,” added Cllr McCafferty.
“She hasn’t honoured a commitment she made before standing for election,” a local spokesperson for Sinn Féin has told The Clare People this week.
“That was in the party pledge she signed. It’s as simple as that,” the spokesperson added.