There was a palpable sense of anger in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, on Thursday among those who wished to discuss the resignation of Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy as a minister of State, with some constituents feeling his errors were an insult to those who elected him.
The deputy announced late on Wednesday that he was standing down from his role at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment following a prolonged controversy around his declarations to the Oireachtas regarding his interest in 11 properties, nine of which are rented out.
He apologised for his lack of “due diligence” and will continue to serve as a TD for Longford-Westmeath.
In Mullingar on Thursday, Mr Troy’s apology and resignation appeared not to have done enough to ease the disappointment of his constituents. Joe Conlon (73) said the TD had made the right decision to stand down, but that he “should have been pushed out” before it got to that point.
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“They’re the ones who are supposed to set the standards,” he said of politicians. “What does it say to people when they can’t even follow their own rules? What does it say to those people doing their Leaving Cert, or leaving school, that they can do these sort of things and get away with them?”
Mr Conlon went on: “It is an insult to the people who elected him. He already has the TD wage, and then he’ll probably get ... whatever it is from rent as well. It’s just not on in this day and age.”
A 25-year-old woman, who did not want to be named, said even though Mr Troy had resigned, she continues to feel disillusioned with the housing and political systems.
“It feels like I’ll never be able to own a home, and then he has 11,” she said. “It just seems really out of touch with reality when the rest of us are struggling with the cost of everything. It feels like the politicians don’t get it. They really don’t get it.”
She added: “And if they’re [politicians] all landlords, who’s going to be the voice for people who are trying to pay rent?”
Patrick Dixon (71) said the controversy had created a lot of distrust among the public towards politicians, particularly those in the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael ranks.
“It is frustrating when people who do all the right things, they pay their taxes, and they find the leaders are making money off it,” he said. “It creates a culture of people who are doing all the right things wondering, ‘Why am I doing all of this?’ It’s very good news that he resigned.”
Seamus, who did not want to give his surname, said the situation was “unfortunate”.
“He made mistakes and he has admitted them now. It’s unfortunate because he is a good worker for the constituency. It’s harder to get away with that sort of thing [not fully declaring interests] nowadays,” he said.
“I know people have a lot of questions, or are angry, about how someone of his age could have 11 properties. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with owning them, but it just doesn’t look right when so many people are struggling to get a home, when there’s a housing crisis.”
Just under 20 minutes away from Mullingar in Mr Troy’s native Ballynacargy, where his family has run the village’s post office for years, locals were reluctant to comment on the news, saying the community was small and close-knit.
“I couldn’t comment,” one woman said. “It’s for the best [that he resigned], but I really couldn’t comment.”
John Heduvan defended the local politician: “I’ve nothing to say except he’s the best. Our Robert is the very best.”
