Councillors meeting in Lifford.
CALLS at an emergency meeting this evening for embattled Councillor John O’Donnell to resign were not unanimous.
However, two motions were finally passed – that he should resign and that councillors sign up to a strict, voluntary, code of ethics.
All the main political parties and most Independents in Donegal County Council called for his resignation.
Cllr Seamus O’Domhnaill, representing the Fianna Fail party, said that his position is “no longer tenable” and that he should consider his future.
Independents, Cllr John Campbell, Micheal Cholm Mac Giolla Easpuig, Nicholas Crossan, Ian McGarvey, Noel Jordan, Dessie Shiels and Frank McBrearty all said O’Donnell should go.
The same call was made by the Sinn Fein, Labour and Fine Gael Party Whips.
However, representing the Independent grouping, Cllr Michael McBride, would only say that fellow Kilmacrennan man O’Donnell should “stand down” from the group and relinquish his positions on council committees.
Cllr Tom Conaghan from Donegal town made a similar call, but did not demand that he resign.
Cllr O’Donnell was not in attendance.
The meeting was adjourned for a time after heated exchanges between members of the public, Cllr Frank McBrearty and some Sinn Fein councillors.
The emergency session was called after revelations made in Monday night’s RTE Investigates programme when O’Donnell appeared to ask for money from an undercover reporter in return for helping a fictitious company develop a wind farm in Donegal.
However, he continues to maintain his innocence and accused the national broadcaster of “deception” and “tricking” him.
See Monday’s Donegal News for more details, or subscribe to our digital edition.
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