A TD has joined calls for Dublin City Council Chief Executive Owen Keegan to resign following a damning TV report on O'Connell Street.
The call follows the horrific state of O'Connell Street being broadcast on RTE's Prime Time on Tuesday night. The devastating programme showed open drug use, violence and urine on the statues on the country's premier street.
The show also included footage of an RTE reporter being offered crack cocaine by a man who was openly smoking the drug. Fine Gael Councillor Ray McAdam kicked off the calls for the resignation, saying Mr Keegan "is ripping the heart out of the City Council".
Read more: RTE Prime Time viewers disgusted by state of O'Connell Street
Dublin Central TD Gary Gannon, who was a Councillor on DCC for six years, also called for Mr Keegan to resign. However, another TD for the same area, Neasa Hourigan, has come out in defence of Mr Keegan.
The Social Democrats TD told Dublin Live: "I can't think of a single reason as to why I would be excited about Owen Keegan continuing on for another three years. People say it is not about Owen Keegan and I saw the debate from TDs commenting that it wasn't about Owen Keegan.
"I actually disagree, it is not only about Owen Keegan but he is certainly complicit in a lot of it. I can't think of a single reason why I would want Owen Keegan to continue in his role for however long is left."
He added: "Were all the issues captured on O'Connell specifically related to Owen Keegan? Some definitely were.
"He absolutely has responsibility for the Dublin Region Homeless Executive... and also for the decline of the northside of the city. Whether it be O'Connell Street, the delays around Moore Street, the fact there is a big fruit market lying idle for the last seven years - all of that is the fault of Owen Keegan."
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A spokeswoman for Owen Keegan said he could not comment on the calls because he is on "planned annual leave" this week.
Green TD Hourigan said housing, drugs and policing issues were the fault of legislators - not Keegan. She wrote on Twitter: "I honestly never thought I'd be rushing to the defence of Owen Keegan but this is a truly ludicrous position to take.
She added: "The DCC exec don't create Housing, policing or drugs policy - that's us in Leinster House. Let's not distract from reality."
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