At the March monthly meeting of Athlone Town Council, Cllr John Butler put forward a motion to ban all election posters from the town.
The Fianna Fail local election candidate feels that the posters are unsightly and may result in poor markings from the Tidy Towns judges. Speaking at the meeting Cllr Butler said that his motion was purely in the interest of the Tidy Towns competition. “It’s better for the town not to have every pole littered with posters,” he said.
Fellow Fianna Fail local election candidate, and sitting councillor, Kieran Molloy agreed not to erect posters, however he added that there would be a chance it would be broken. “What addition do these posters make?” he asked.
Fine Gael local election candidate Cllr Mick O’Connell questioned Cllr Butler’s motives for the motion. “I hope this is not a play against new candidates,” he said. “You should not have limits put on them. I do understand the litter aspects, but I don’t support the motion,” he added.
Cllr Hogan (SF ) suggested a limit on the amount of election posters erected around the town. He also called for a reduction in expenditure for the election, saying that then no parties would have a monopoly.
Cllr Butler insisted that there was no political motive behind the motion to ban election posters. “If you want to come and pick up posters after the election, please do! They should be discouraged if we are to keep Athlone tidy. It has happened in other towns,” he added.
