I served as Treasurer of this Association from 1995 to 1998 and Secretary for some months in 1998. In 1998 the proposal emerged to open a drug clinic for the Dublin 12 area at the Eastern Health Board premises at Old County Road.
In previous elections I publicly identified myself with a view that addicts should be treated in their home communities. This makes it less likely that their behaviour will be unacceptable and that strangers will visit the clinic area. As Secretary of the Residents' Association I opposed the proposal for Old County Road on the basis that addicts should not be brought in from outside the area.
However, the attitude taken by the Association did not confine itself to the existing proposal but ruled out the treatment of any number of drug addicts at any location on Old County Road, thus implying that addicts from the immediate neighbourhood of the clinic would be foisted on some other community.
I remained opposed to the Eastern Health Board plans, but I felt that by not confining themselves to those plans, the Residents' Association looked unreasonable in a way that, given my past statements, I could not stand over.
The position of Secretary carries with it a particular responsibility to be willing to defend the attitude that the body adopts, and in the circumstances I decided to tender my resignation as Secretary.