Public and private supply of houses in Tipperary is the big Local Elections issue

Q. Councillor John FitzGerald, thanks for entering the No Spin Zone. Tell me briefly about yourself and your political career to date?
A. I live in Clerihan with my wife Anne and three children. I grew up in a large family, on a farm in Golden, moved to Clonmel 35 years ago and set up Dougan FitzGerald. I became a councillor in 2020.
Q. As a successful businessman, what made you want to get involved in politics?
A. The interacting with people as an auctioneer selling properties led me into politics. As an auctioneer, you’re involved very closely with the issues of housing, planning, the environment & trying to promote clean neighbourhoods. You can then go out as a councillor to highlight needed improvements.
Q. So while you’re a sitting councillor, does it worry you that this is your first time to face the electorate in Clonmel in the forthcoming Local Elections?
A. I hope people will give me a chance to continue to represent them in the Clonmel area, and they can do this by giving me their No 1 or highest preference vote. I’m hopeful, but I’m not taking it for granted at all. If I work hard for the people, I hope that they’ll reward me.
Q. Tell us about your greatest success as a councillor?
A. Apart from the normal day-to-day issues with the public when you can get a problem solved, I was also delighted when as both auctioneer & councillor, that our company Dougan FitzGerald found new buyers for the Clonmel Arms Hotel Site. That building represented a huge scar of the years following the recession. To see the eyesore now demolished, made safe, and with a new amazing vision for the location on the way, has been my biggest achievement or satisfaction, whichever you wish to call it. When it’s built, it will be incredible.
Q. Water is a massive issue in Clonmel. This newspaper’s reporter Eamon Wynne wrote an article entitled “Water problems continue to disrupt everyday life in this town”. What’s your opinion on Uisce Eireann, and what will you do about water if elected?
A. The whole water issue is the bane of our life Cara. I’ve been highlighting this over the last few years, as there’s a serious frustration in Clonmel. I know that investment from Government is promised for services and infrastructure, but it needs to be accelerated massively. I will keep the pressure on this in a big way if elected, I have to, in order to be credible as a representative of the public.
Q. As an auctioneer, you must have a real insight into the issue of housing. What urgently needs to be done?
A. Supply is the issue, both private and public. We are building, but just not fast enough. The high rates of employment mean that many people are approved for mortgages, but just can’t find that address. I know that a few schemes are coming on track this summer, but builders and developers need to get building. The demand for public housing is also under supplied. Tipperary County Council will also need to speed up its building programme with big numbers on the approved housing list awaiting allocation.
HOUSING CRISIS
Q. What do you say to people who blame your party Fine Gael for the housing crisis?
A. I don’t accept that it’s Fine Gael’s fault in the first place, but Fine Gael shouldn’t sit on their hands on this issue either. And they need to double-down on this issue to get it sorted. A party like Fine Gael have a duty to solve this issue and house building is now at its highest level in over 20 years.
Q. Each day, RTE continues to dig a hole for itself. Can you understand why some people decide not to pay the TV licence, and what’s your opinion on that?
A. I can fully understand why people don’t pay. RTE has been a bit of a shambles since we discovered people getting excessive salaries & payments. I was delighted to hear the Taoiseach say that the Comptroller & Auditor General will now have a role in overseeing RTE. I wouldn’t encourage people not to pay the licence though, as that will make matters worse.
Q. To road safety. Last week, The Nationalist reported that councillors revolted against the County Council about the use of speed ramps. Tipperary is now the worst county in Ireland for road deaths. So what needs to be done to save lives?
A. We have to end the carnage on the roads, The last year has been devasting for Tipperary. Enforcement of speed has to be to the fore, however initial training and testing should be reformed in my opinion to give young drivers a better education. I am not certain that the current system of is fit for purpose as a mechanism to lower injury and fatality.
Q. Immigration has entered the local news with certain rumours about Hearns Hotel potentially being used. Irrespective of the location, where do you stand on the issue of Immigration?
A. We have to do our best, and we have to do what we can to help people in crisis situations. Overall, I don’t believe that ordinary people have a problem with this. But we must be sensible about locations. I don’t think that Hearns Hotel is actually suitable, for example. It needs to be thought through and a better location in Clonmel found, but I have no issue once it is strategically managed.
Q. Sinn Fein got 6% of the first preference vote in the last Local Elections. They’re now at approximately 30% nationally. Do you fear a ‘Sinn Fein wave’ in this election?
A. I am not sure what will happen in the next election. Irish people are highly sophisticated in the way they vote. Who they can trust, and who will give them stability. If they decide to go down the road of “auction politics” from any source, will not benefit anybody.
LITTER ISSUE
Q. I’ve started to notice a big increase in littering on the roads around Clonmel. Are you seeing that, and what can be done about it?
This is something that drives me insane. As I drove out here tonight, the amount of dumping on the wood road was awful. Villages are fantastic, but the Countryside is really bad. Cans, pizza boxes, all kind of discarded rubbish is everywhere. Littering is getting out of hand in the country roads almost to a crisis. It’s very hard for the council to police this. I am convinced that people who do this should be treated harshly when detected. It will always be one of my foremost priorities as a public representative.
Q. The vacant units in Market Place have become a serious source of frustration for Clonmel people. What is the present situation with Market Place, and what can be done about it?
A. There has been some interaction between the council and the owners about planning permission, which I welcome. I want to see it back as a vibrant area, with some shops and living accommodation. I think news on this mightn’t be too far away.
Q. I have to ask you about your party’s leader Taoiseach Leo Vardakar. Fine Gael didn’t do very well in the last general election. Is his leadership on the line if the party doesn’t perform in the Local and General elections?
A. After elections, leadership is often looked at. But I do have confidence in him. He’s a very bright young leader and I think he has the Country’s best interest in his heart. I think he will continue to lead Fine Gael into the next General Election.
Q. I can’t finish this interview without mentioning your brother Michael, the legendary county councillor who is retiring this summer. Is there anything you want to say about him?
A. Thank you for calling him a legend Cara. He has given unbelievable service to the people of his area. He always had that streak of public service in him, and everyone knows how hard he works. If I can turn out to be half of the councillor he was, then I would be a great councillor myself.
Q. Final question – why should the people of the Clonmel area vote for John FitzGerald in June?
A. I hope that people will see in me a person who believes in public service and has a practical desire to solve their problems and make their lives better. I also feel that I can be the go-to person for matters of public concern and have them articulated on their behalf in a local government setting. I think I can be someone that you can be proud of.
Cara: Thanks for entering The No Spin Zone John. Best wishes in June!