Sinn Féin may run two candidates, county councillor Dermot Connolly and town councillor Michael Breathnach, in the Ballinasloe ward for May’s Local Election.
SF will hold its election selection convention for the Ballinasloe Local Election Area in Gullane’s Hotel tomorrow at 8pm. The meeting will be chaired by Sen Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
Cllr Connolly has been the Sinn Féin councillor for the east Galway town since 2004, while Cllr Breathnach sits on the nine member Ballinasloe Town Council. However with the State’s town councils due to be abolished under new legislation from the Department of the Environment, SF is considering running both men in May.
Ballinasloe is a six seat electoral area and one of the most competitive in the county. With recent opinion polls showing SF at around 15 per cent, the party has a quota which means Cllr Connolly stands a strong chance of retaining his seat. However, running two candidates risks splitting the vote and making election to the Galway County Council more difficult.
The Ballinasloe ward has also been much changed under last year’s boundary commission with Ryehill and Monivea now in the Tuam ward, and Derrew, Kilquain, and Tiranascragh moved to Loughrea
