Fine Gael has removed the party whip from the mayor of Limerick city, Diarmuid Scully, and Dublin City Council member Niamh Cosgrave, following their decisions to break party ranks in recent local authority mayoralty elections.
The decision by the party's disciplinary committee, which began within days of the elections in late June, has been taken with "immediate effect", according to the party's general secretary, Tom Curran, who issued a brief statement last night.
Cllr Scully opposed the FG nominee, Cllr Maria Byrne, for the Limerick mayoralty and defeated her by nine votes to eight with the support of Independents and Fianna Fáil.
Fine Gael's five members on Limerick City Council were called before the national executive last Wednesday to give evidence about a party meeting held prior to the June 27th vote.
Fine Gael had a pact with Labour to rotate the mayoralty and this was to be Labour's year, though Labour passed on the opportunity and offered the term of office to Fine Gael because they could not agree on a candidate.
Following some dissension, Cllr Byrne was chosen to be the party's representative, which prompted Cllr Scully - tipped in the past as a likely Dáil successor to Michael Noonan - to leave the meeting in annoyance.
In Dublin, Cllr Cosgrave had sought the FG nomination to become Dublin's lord mayor, though Cllr Catherine Byrne, who was first elected to the council in 1999, beat her. Despite promising to vote for Cllr Byrne, Cllr Cosgrave could not be contacted in the days leading to the election, and she did not vote on the night itself, although Cllr Byrne did manage to win.
