Local independent candidate for the Moate Electoral Area, Michael O’Brien, has expressed deep outrage and disappointment following the large scale theft of his election posters.
Speaking to the Athlone Advertiser this week, the former councillor stated that his 8-foot by 4-foot poster, which was bolted to the gable end of Moate Sports, had been taken down.
“This sign was on private property and was securely bolted to the wall. The culprit, or culprits, had to put a lot of work into removing this one.
“Also on Saturday morning, we had a sighting of a man in a white van using a ladder to take down a poster of mine in Drumraney and throwing it over a wall. Later that day, another poster was reported taken down in Streamstown, while earlier in the week, posters were also removed in Mount Temple.
“A witness has come forward, stating that he saw a white van with dimmed lights acting suspiciously in the village at 4.30am on Tuesday morning,” O’Brien said.
The local election aspirant has reported these incidents to the Gardaí describing them as “a planned and orchestrated attack on my campaign.”
“These actions are very sad and pathetic. It seems some people must be very worried about the momentum of my campaign,” O’Brien added.
O’Brien emphasised his determination to continue his campaign and reclaim a council seat for Moate and surrounding area despite these setbacks and urged supporters to remain vigilant.
