THE MAYOR of Sligo has been accused of damaging the town’s reputation by describing its main street as “dilapidated, badly lit, dark and unsafe” on national radio.
Councillor Jim McGarry’s (Lab) comments sparked outrage among traders in O’Connell Street who are opposed to a decision by councillors to allow traffic back onto the street which was pedestrianised in August 2006.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley has been asked to investigate this decision. A spokesman for the Minister confirmed he received 170 e-mails about the issue from the public.
However, the department said that it has no role in the matter. As campaigners yesterday called for public protests on the street the Mayor defended the comments he made on Newstalk. He said there had been no investment on the street for2½ years and that it was badly lit.
Mr McGarry said elected public representatives had voted three times on this issue and that traffic would be back on the street on or before December 9th next.
Mr McGarry’s comments provoked a furious reaction from traders in O’Connell Street who, like Sligo Chamber of Commerce, have urged that the street remain pedestrianised.
Traders also reacted angrily to Cllr McGarry’s claim that the authorities had turned a “blind eye” to unregulated use of the street by restaurant and pub owners who had placed furniture outside their premises.