Former FG councillor tells of 'rezoning coterie'

A former Fine Gael county councillor has told the tribunal of her shock on realising that she belonged to a "rare breed" of honest councillors.

Mary Muldoon, who says she was isolated within the party for her anti-rezoning stance, said former leader John Bruton dismissed her concerns on the issue.

She also described her "absolute amazement" when Pat Rabbitte and two Democratic Left colleagues voted in favour of the rezoning of land at Ballycullen in south Dublin in 1992.

The tribunal is investigating the Ballycullen rezoning, for which lobbyist Frank Dunlop claims to have bribed nine councillors.

Ms Muldoon said she was opposed to the rezoning of Ballycullen as her own area in neighbouring Knocklyon was bereft of facilities and suffered from major traffic problems.

In October 1992, Christopher Jones and Derry Hussey of Ballycullen Farms called to lobby her for her support for the rezoning. She knew Mr Hussey's wife Gemma, a former Fine Gael minister for education, very well.

Mr Hussey was disappointed at her refusal to support the motion, while Mr Jones was very gracious and gentlemanly. Mr Jones said he would like to shake her hand and said: "It's nice to meet an honest councillor."

Ms Muldoon commented: "That made me think a lot. I wasn't aware I was such a rare breed."

She told Judge Alan Mahon she was shocked at the remark. "It seemed to me he was saying that a lot of other councillors were not honest, that I was somehow unusual or different." While she was not specifically aware of payments being made to councillors, there was evidence of inducements being made available.

The Jones Group had provided jeeps for one candidate at election-time, presumably to put up posters. She had heard on the grapevine of one councillor who had her kitchen put in by a builder.

Some people who would logically have opposed rezonings supported them instead, she said. It was very obvious some kind of "rezoning coterie" was in operation.

She was not surprised when the rezoning passed in October 1992. There was a rezoning majority on the council made up mostly of Fianna Fáil members with three-quarters of Fine Gael and a few PDs. Labour, Democratic Left, Independents and a few Fine Gael members generally opposed rezoning motions.

She was absolutely amazed when DL voted for the Ballycullen rezoning as she had never known the party to act in this fashion before. Ms Muldoon said she was isolated within Fine Gael because of her views.

"I was considered anti-progress, anti-development, anti-employment, a bit of an oddball."

She recalled Mr Bruton telling the Fine Gael councillors their voting patterns were a disgrace at a meeting in 1993. He advised them to reach a consensus in advance on rezoning votes. Ms Muldoon said she told Mr Bruton if this happened, all of Co Dublin would be covered in housing, but he dismissed what she had to say.

She resigned from the party in 1996 and became an Independent.