Emergency Motion Calls on DCC CEO Owen Keegan to Withdraw Council Staff from DublinTown Board

Posted on July 10, 2017 by mannixflynn

PRESS RELEASE: MONDAY JULY 10TH 2017

Emergency Motion Calls on Dublin City Council Chief Executive Owen Keegan to Withdraw Council Staff from DublinTown Board

An Emergency Motion has been brought before Dublin City Council calling on the CEO Owen Keegan to withdraw DCC staff from the DublinTown Board. This is to allow due process in any investigation the Council may have to carry out as a result of complaints made to the Council by DublinTown CEO Richard Guiney about Dublin City Councillor Mannix Flynn.

An official complaint was made by Mr Guiney to Dublin City Council on Friday regarding Councillor Flynn, who is heavily involved in the No to BID Campaign.

Commenting on this, No to BID Campaign spokesperson Kim Condon said; ‘’we were alarmed to hear about the complaint in the first place. Even more alarming was that Councillor Flynn first heard about the complaint when a member of the media contacted him about it on Friday. This would suggest that officials in Dublin City Council or in DublinTown have been selectively leaking information to the media as part of their dirty tricks campaign to discredit our group. We are calling on Owen Keegan to investigate immediately and for DCC staff to withdraw from the board of DublinTown to allow due process in the investigation.’’

Ms Condon went on to say; ‘’the No to BID Campaign is having a surge in momentum and we have received a huge increase in support. It is clear to me that DublinTown is in trouble and chose to engage in this stunt as it is in the dying days of its reign.’’

The Emergency Motion, brought to the DCC South East Area Committee, will be heard today (Monday 10^th July) and has been tabled by Councillor Flynn.

DublinTown (formerly Dublin BID) is a company which was set up in 2008 following a vote of Dublin city centre businesses. It is charged with improving Dublin City as a commercial district. Businesses in the district pay a compulsory levy of 5% of their commercial rates. DublinTown is renewed every five years by a vote of businesses in the district. The vote this year is overshadowed by a groundswell of anger and mistrust from businesses, a proposed increase to the levy and highly-contested footfall figures.
Paul Allen & Associates,
Public Relations,

18 Fitzwilliam Square South,
Dublin 2.
Tel: 00-353-1-6769575

No to BID Campaign calls on PAC to Investigate DublinTown

Posted on July 7, 2017 by mannixflynn

PRESS RELEASE: JULY 7TH

www.notobidcampaign.com

No to BID Campaign calls on PAC to Investigate DublinTown
The No to BID Campaign, the group of Dublin City Centre businesses opposed to the renewal of DublinTown, have written to the Public Accounts Committee Chairperson Sean Fleming TD asking him to investigate serious concerns the group has about the corporate governance and the lack of transparency at the company. The primary concerns relate to allegations of financial mismanagement, DublinTown’s support for drug injection centres and the city’s footfall figures.

The call for the PAC to investigate DublinTown comes ahead of a vote among business owners in city centre on the 17th July. Businesses are being asked whether to disband DublinTown (formerly Dublin BID) or to extend it for another five years.

The campaign to date has seen many allegations of missing ballot papers, falsified footfall figures, support for drug injection centres and breaches of corporate governance. Commenting on this, No to BID Campaign spokesperson Kim Condon said; ‘’we are calling on the Public Accounts Committee Chairperson Sean Fleming to immediately investigate what has been happening at DublinTown over past 5 years. DublinTown and its management have forced us into this position by their lack of transparency and clarity. The businesses who pay into the DublinTown scheme have been repeatedly stonewalled when asking important questions on the footfall figures, drug injection centres and financial affairs at the company. We have been point-blank refused any real answers.’’

Ms Condon went on to say; ‘’nobody wants to take this sort of extraordinary action, but we have been left with no other alternative. As the campaign has gone on, more and more serious concerns and questions about DublinTown have arisen. There would appear to be no level of corporate governance and their lack of engagement with businesses who pay their wages is astounding. Members of the No to BID Campaign have been threatened with legal action by DublinTown, seeking to censor us. That is the sort of organisation we are dealing with and a perfect example of why I’ll be voting No to BID on July 17th and I call on all businesses in the city to do likewise. We have organised a public debate on Wednesday 12th, and Bobby Kerr has agreed to host a radio debate on Newstalk tomorrow Saturday morning at 11.20am. I would encourage business owners to attend and tune in, as it may be our last chance for honest answers ahead of the vote.’’

DublinTown (formerly Dublin BID) is a company which was set up in 2008 following a vote of Dublin city centre businesses. It is charged with improving Dublin City as a commercial district. Businesses in the district pay a compulsory levy of 5% of their commercial rates. DublinTown is renewed every five years by a vote of businesses in the district.
The No to BID group comprises of over 800 businesses in Dublin City centre, illustrating a diversity of business interests dedicated to shutting down the DublinTown operation.

ENDS
Please Note:
Kim Condon is available for interview.
For more information please contact:
Paul Allen                                                                 Rory Sweeney
Paul Allen & Associates                                        Paul Allen & Associates
18 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2                            18 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2
01 676 9575 / 087 257 5700                                       01 676 9575 / 086 897 6442

http://www.notobidcampaign.com/press-release.html

Simone Veil – Thank You

Posted on July 5, 2017 by mannixflynn

French politician, women’s rights champion and Holocaust survivor Simone Veil will be buried in Paris’s Pantheon mausoleum. She will become the 5th woman to be buried at the National monument. Veil will join scientist Marie Curie; two resistance members who were deported to Germany, Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz and Germaine Tillion; and Sophie Berthelot, who was buried alongside her chemist husband, Pierre-Eugène Marcellin Berthelot.

Simone Veil (13 July 1927 – 30 June 2017) was a French lawyer and politician who served as Minister of Health under Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the European Parliament and member of the Constitutional Council of France.

simone

Born in Nice in 1927 as Simone Jacob, she was arrested by the Germans in 1944, alongside her family, and sent to Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. Only she and her sister survived. Her mother, father, and brother all died there.

She became best known in France for her instrumental role in legalising abortion in the 1970s as Minister of Health and went on to serve as the first president of an elected European Parliament.

She later re-entered French politics, returning to the cabinet in the 1990s.

In 2010, she was deemed one of the 40 “immortals” of the Académie Française – a great honour in France.

She inspired generations of people all over the world and paved the way for many. The 89 years she spent here were dedicated to the advancement of the human being with a primary purpose being, the equality of women. They are correctly honouring her as an extraordinary human being by placing her in The Pantheon.

simone1

Guardian Article:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/05/french-rights-champion-simone-veil-place-pantheon-mausoleum-paris

DCC response to missing BID Ballots

Posted on July 5, 2017 by mannixflynn

If your business has not received a ballot paper for the BID/Dublintown plebiscite please see instructions below from Dublin City Council on how to have your ballot reissued.

www.notobidcampaign.com

Subject: Ballot Question

Dear Cllr Flynn

All 3001 Ballots were posted on the 20^th of April to the Billing Addresses of the Ratepayers. A small no of Ballots were returned to us as An Post could not deliver to the address listed with the Rates Office. The Rates Office hand delivered these returned ballots when possible to the billing address of the ratepayers concerned. As you know in many cases the billing address is different than the rateable property. Other times the Ballots were delivered correctly but went elsewhere within the companies concerned or a change of billing address had not been notified to the Rates Office.

Please ask Mr. or _ and any other eligible ratepayer who has an issue with a ballot to contact us directly at bids@dublincity.ie if he has not received his Ballot and we will either confirm the billing address on file so that the Ballot can be retrieved or issue a duplicate ballot. Mr will confirm that the Ballots were delivered correctly to his billing address.

The process for the issuing of a duplicate ballot if the ratepayer can confirm non-delivery is as follows:

A signed letter from the ratepayer on Business Paper (or other business documentation) stating that ballot papers have not been received for the properties in question and requesting a Duplicate Ballot.
On receipt of this letter which can be posted, hand delivered to the Chief Executive’s Department or scanned and emailed to bids@dublincity.ie , a duplicate ballot will be issued.
The Duplicate must be collected from the Chief Executive’s Department Block 4, Floor 4 Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8.
Once a Duplicate Ballot is issued the original Ballot paper becomes invalid and will not be counted if returned.
Please state in the letter who is authorized to collect the Ballot. That individual should have photo ID

We will only deal with the ratepayer themselves on any inquiry regarding their ballot.

Regards

Deirdre Ní Raghallaigh

Senior Executive Officer / Oifigeach Feidhmiúcháin Sinsearach

01 222 6738 M: 0868150582 E.Deirdre.niraghallaigh@dublincity.ie

Chief Executive’s Office, Civic Offices, Wood Quay, D.8

Oifig an Phríomhfheidhmeannaigh, Oifig na Cathrach, An Ché Adhmaid, BÁC 8

ATTENTION all BID voters

Posted on July 5, 2017 by mannixflynn

www.notobidcampaign.com

Please see press release below from Paul Allen PR in relation to the BID/Dublintown plebiscite on July 17th.

We are involved with the Dublin City businesses who are campaigning against the Dublin Business Improvement District (operating currently as Dublin Town).

There is a vote among the businesses in the district on the 17^th July.

This is a vitally Important issue for around 3,000 businesses in Dublin City Centre.

If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Many Thanks,

Paul.

Press Release

Wednesday 5^th July 2017

Missing Ballot Papers and Complete Confusion Ahead of Vital Dublin City Vote

The No to BID Campaign group businesses has today (Wednesday, July 5^th) called on Dublin City Council CEO Owen Keegan to take action and investigate the status of lost and missing ballot papers ahead of the vote on the future of the Dublin Business Improvement District (trading as DublinTown).

The No to BID Campaign has received dozens of complaints from businesses in the District that they have not yet received ballot papers for the vote on July 17^th.

Commenting on this, No to BID Campaign spokesperson Kim Condon said; ‘’we are now in the 11^th hour of this campaign and all we have been hearing from many businesses is that they have not yet received ballot papers. They were supposed to have received them last week and have been continuously requesting them from Dublin City Council. We have also been notified that Dublin BID representatives have been approaching businesses asking to collect their ballot papers. This is totally unacceptable and the No to BID Campaign is calling on Mr Keegan to investigate this situation immediately.’’

The No to BID Campaign has been gathering momentum, with the Restaurants Association of Ireland, the Irish Hotels Federation, the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association and the Irish Hairdressers Federation all declaring their support for the No side in recent days. The Licensed Vintners Association and the Dublin Chamber of Commerce are staying neutral on the issue, but many of their leading members have also declared their support for a No vote.

Dublin BID (operated by DublinTown) is a company which was set up in 2008 following a vote of Dublin city centre businesses. It is charged with improving Dublin City as a commercial district. Businesses in the district pay a compulsory levy of 5% of their commercial rates. DublinTown is renewed every five years by a vote of businesses in the district. The vote this year is overshadowed by a groundswell of anger and mistrust from businesses over a proposed 34% increase to the levy and highly-contested footfall figures.

ENDS.

Notes to the Editor:

Please Note:

Kim Condon is available for interview.

For more information please contact:

Paul Allen Rory Sweeney

Paul Allen & Associates Paul Allen & Associates

18 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2 18 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2

01 676 9575 / 087 257 5700 01 676 9575 / 086 897 6442

‘No to BID’ campaign invites ‘DublinTown’ to a Public Debate

Posted on July 4, 2017 by mannixflynn

PRESS RELEASE

Monday July 2nd 2017

Traders demand true facts to emerge on finances and footfall figures
The campaign seeking to disband DublinTown (formerly Dublin BID), the company set up by Dublin city centre businesses, has today (Sunday 2nd July) invited a representative of DublinTown to a public debate at Dublin City Hall ahead of the plebiscite vote to disband DublinTown on Friday, 17th July. The No to BID campaign will extend an invitation to all traders affected by the DublinTown levy to attend the debate event.

Commenting on this, spokesperson for the No to BID campaign, Kim Condon said ’’We propose that the debate be held on Wednesday 12th July at Dublin City Hall. It will be an important opportunity for both sides to engage in proper debate about how effective DublinTown has been and why it should be disbanded. It is also a chance for DublinTown to answer important questions about how they have spent the money they collected from Dublin businesses and serious concerns about the footfall figures.’’

Ms Condon went on to say; ‘’This is a critical time for Dublin city. It is essential that the truth emerges as there are high levels of misinformation and fakery of facts on the campaign. We feel that this is a huge vote for the future of Dublin city and it is imperative that the public get a chance to hear both sides of the campaign. We urge all traders to vote No.’’

DublinTown (formerly Dublin BID) is a company which was set up in 2008 following a vote of Dublin city centre businesses. It is charged with improving Dublin City as a commercial district. Businesses in the district pay a compulsory levy of 5% of their commercial rates. DublinTown is renewed every five years by a vote of businesses in the district. The vote this year is overshadowed by a groundswell of anger and mistrust from businesses over a proposed 34% increase to the levy and highly-contested footfall figures.

The No to BID group comprises of over 800 businesses in Dublin City centre, illustrating a diversity of business interests dedicated to shutting down the DublinTown operation.

No to BID Campaign Welcomes Major New Support from Industry Associations

Posted on July 4, 2017 by mannixflynn

Press Release

4^th July 2017

No to BID Campaign Welcomes Major New Support from Industry Associations

The No to BID Campaign, who are seeking to disband Dublin Town (formerly Dublin BID) at a vote on 14^th July, have today welcomed major new support from industry associations including the Irish Hotels Federation, the Restaurants Association of Ireland, the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association and the Hairdressers Association of Ireland. Alongside this, leading members of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce and the Licensed Vintners Association have also joined the campaign.

Spokesperson for the No to BID Campaign Kim Condon said; ‘’We are delighted to have the support of these trade associations, and this support highlights the huge amount of support we have been receiving from Dublin City Centre businesses over the last several months. We have been out canvassing support and there is hardly a business we call to that doesn’t support a No vote on July 17^th.’’

However, the campaign to date has been rocked by allegations that campaigners on the Yes side are playing ‘dirty tricks’. Commenting on this, Ms Condon said ‘’we have been notified by a sizeable number of businesses that people in support of DublinTown have been asking to collect votes and deliver them to the ballot box on behalf of the business. It is our understanding that this is illegal and we strongly urge all businesses not to hand over their votes. These allegations, if true, are a perfect example of the kind of dirty tricks we have come to expect from the Yes side in this campaign.’’

DublinTown (formerly Dublin BID) is a company which was set up in 2008 following a vote of Dublin city centre businesses. It is charged with improving Dublin City as a commercial district. Businesses in the district pay a compulsory levy of 5% of their commercial rates. DublinTown is renewed every five years by a vote of businesses in the district. The vote this year is overshadowed by a groundswell of anger and mistrust from businesses over a proposed 34% increase to the levy and highly-contested footfall figures.

The No to BID Campaign comprises of over 800 businesses in Dublin City centre, representing a wide range of business interests dedicated to shutting down the DublinTown operation.

ENDS

如果你在都柏林市中心做生意，你可能已经收到一封就BID是否继续延期的投票信。

Posted on July 4, 2017 by mannixflynn

If you have a business in the centre of Dublin, you may have received a ballot paper for the vote on the renewal of the BID.
如果你在都柏林市中心做生意，你可能已经收到一封就BID是否继续延期的投票信。
The BID is a private company to which city centre businesses pay a tax every year.
BID是一家要求都柏林市中心的商家们每年付税的私家公司。
We don’t get value for money for this tax so we are voting NO.
我们没有得到所付税应得的价值，所以我们投否决票。
Please vote NO; if a majority of businesses vote NO, the BID will be disbanded and businesses will save over 4 million a year.
请您投否决票，如果绝大多数的商家投否决票， BID公司将会被解散，商家们每年会省下超过四百万欧元（4000，000 euro）的资金。

This tax is set to increase by 34% over 9 years but we can only vote every 5 years so vote NO now.
这项税务在这九年里已经涨了34%！但是我们只能每五年投票一次，所以请您现在就投否决票。

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#voteno #notobidcampaign #notobid #voteno2Dublintown

Dyslexia

Posted on June 20, 2017 by mannixflynn

Dyslexia is hereditary. Many people struggle with it for years without ever being diagnosed or understanding the reasons why they cannot read, write or spell well. They say that over 70% of artists have some level or dyslexia. Many actors, writers, artists, performers, and athletes are dyslexic. It doesn’t have to be a debilitating thing in your life, in fact, as a dyslexic person, you have a lot of advantages over other people in your ability to problem solve, think outside the box and find constant solutions through completely different avenues.

If you or someone in your family is having problems reading or spelling it may be worth taking them for an assessment. Many schools, unfortunately, are still not equipped to teach in an alternate way and it is left up to parents to provide extra tuition to help their children learn in a different way. It is as simple as learning in a different way. But most dyslexic people would tell you that their school years were hell, always being told they were lazy or stupid. It is very important to have your child assessed if you in any way think they may be having difficulty reading etc.

The conference listed below is a free event for those interested in the links between dyslexia and drug abuse.

Dyslexia and Drug Use: Hiding in Plain Sight

by Soilse and Dyslexia Association of Ireland

Free

Wed, 12 Jul (09:30)

Dyslexia Conference

Dyslexia and Drug Use: Hiding in Plain Sight

Date: 12 July 2017

Time: 9:30 – 1pm

Organisers: Soilse and Dyslexia Association of Ireland

Venue: Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) offices

16-22 Green Street ,

Dublin 7

9:30 – 10:00

Registration