Ballymena DUP Alderman John Carson suspended over Michelle O'Neill comment

Acting Commissioner Ian Gordon ruled that Ald Carson had breached the Councillors’ Code of Conduct by making an “abusive comment” on Facebook in April 2021.

The comment was described as a reference to the then Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill, Deputy Leader of Sinn Fein.

The sanction was imposed after a complaint was received by the Local Government Ethical Standards Directorate and an investigation report sent to the Acting Commissioner for his consideration.

The Acting Commissioner found “no evidence”, despite Alderman Carson’s description, the comment related to political issues.

Instead, he considered the wording was “an unreasonable personal attack” on Ms O’Neill with a “misogynistic” tone.

The Acting Commissioner said he was “satisfied” that Ald Carson’s conduct was “likely to diminish the trust and confidence the public placed in his position as an elected representative”.

He determined that a member of the public, “knowing all the relevant facts would reasonably consider that the alderman’s conduct was such that it brought his position into disrepute”.

He also found that Ald Carson had “failed to comply with the Respect Principle which underpins the Code”.

Mitigating Factors

The Acting Commissioner considered the mitigating factors in this case, which included a statement issued by Ald Carson on Facebook saying: “In hindsight, I realise I have caused offence by a robust comment made in anger. I retract the comment and apologise accordingly.”

Ald Carson has no previous record of breaching the Code.

However, the Commissioner felt that the apology was “half-hearted” and not a personal apology to Ms O’Neill. In addition, he concluded the councillor had “not shown meaningful hindsight into his actions”.

The Acting Commissioner considered that a period of suspension of three months was a “necessary and proportionate response to the breach found”.

In June, party colleague Knockagh Cllr Marc Collins was suspended from Mid and East Antrim Borough Council for eight months for social media tweets by the Northern Ireland Local Government Commissioner for Standards after a complaint against him was upheld.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has contacted Ald Carson for a comment.

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter