Councillor Smith was accused of stabbing his party colleagues in the back in a dispute over who should be the first Cathaoirleach of the District
Ahead of yesterday afternoons first meeting it was expected that an alliance between the four Fianna Fail and one Fine Gael member of the body would decide the Cathaoirleach.
John Hogan was proposed for the position but the Independent/Sinn Fein group threw a spanner in the works by proposing Michael Smith under the d'Hont system – which would see the person who gained the most votes in the local elections becoming the first Cathaoirleach.
This left two Fianna Fail Councillors in the running with Michael Smith breaking the party's pact and voting for himself which together with the Independent/Sinn Fein grouping saw him elected by 5 votes to 4.
