| In trying to end a row that has rumbled on for years, David Murray has incurred the wrath of several fellow councillors.
They have now joined forces in a bid to overthrow him at an extraordinary meeting called for Monday.
The row is over a collection of 50 paintings by famous local artist David Waterson, gifted to the town’s Mechanics Institute by his widow.
When the institute closed, the then Brechin Burgh Council took over responsibility for them.
A selection of the paintings was returned to the Institute after it was restored and reopened, but they were later removed by Angus Council, ostensibly because of the risk of damage.
The collection, which includes etchings, watercolours, pastels and oils, is now mostly held in storage at the Meffan in Forfar.
Some Brechin folk, however, have repeatedly raised concerns over the condition of some of the paintings and have questioned why they are not being kept locally.
Some members of the community council want the paintings back, even if it means taking legal action against Angus Council.
A steering group was set up to explore the options, but a row erupted after the last community council meeting, where it is alleged Mr Murray refused to allow further discussion on the subject.
In a letter to Mr Murray, member Irene Gillies says several members were unhappy at the way he handled the matter.
“As chairman, I am led to believe you should be the person that collates all the information from the members, listens to what has been said and takes a vote where necessary. You were unwilling that evening to take on board our opinions and no vote was taken.”
Mr Murray, however, maintains he has no case to answer.
“It would be neither practical or expedient to pursue Angus Council,” he said. “The community council has only £500 in the bank. I do not envisage we would get very far with that.
“This row has been rumbling for a long time now and we are getting nowhere. There are a few people determined to keep it going and it has been taking up considerable time when we should be getting on with other matters.
“I actually emailed all our members with my feelings on the subject prior to the meeting and there was not a single response from any of them.
“I find this whole situation quite incredible, but perhaps I should have seen it coming. At the conclusion of the meeting, there were a couple of groups huddled together and when I bade my farewells there was little more than a grunt from those assembled.”
The extraordinary meeting takes place in the Damacre Centre at 7.30pm. |
