With the Local Elections only a couple of weeks away the candidates in each area are busy on the doorsteps putting themselves in front of the people again. With the redrawing of election boundaries causing consternation in a number of areas with areas swapping from one to another and Ballinrobe being extinguished as an electoral area in its own right, the Swinford area was one of the least affected with the transfer of Aghamore into its area from the newly expanded Claremorris area.
There are four seats in the Swinford area once again this year, with Fine Gael’s duo of Eugene Lavin and Cathaoirleach Joe Mellett along with Sinn Féin’s Gerry Murray and Fianna Fáil’s Jimmy Maloney all going for re-election.
Last time Sinn Féin’s Gerry Murray was elected on the first count polling 1,782 first preference votes out of the total valid poll of 8,073 votes cast in an area that had a potential electorate of 12,630. Murray was joined in the winner’s circle also on the first count by former Mayo goalkeeper and Fine Gael man Eugene Lavin who polled just 147 first preference votes fewer than Murray with 1,635 first preference votes.
It wasn’t until the sixth count that the next man was elected to the council, with Fianna Fáil’s Jimmy Maloney making the quota after picking up 322 transfers from party colleague Brendan McNulty who was eliminated on the fifth count. The last seat went to current Cathaoirleach Joe Mellet who was elected on the seventh count despite falling just short of the quota.
The four elected members took 69.2 per cent of the total first preference votes, with Murray and Lavin taking almost 43 per cent of the total first preference between them. All four returning candidates will be seen as strong favourites to take the seats again. But challenges from Fianna Fáil’s John Caulfield who is based out of Kilkelly cannot be discounted. Last time Fine Gael ran three candidates in the area, with John Flannery coming very close to piping Joe Mellet for the final seat, and this time they have decided to run the same number on the ticket. Councillors Lavin and Mellett have been joined by Cathal Henry from Charlestown, carving the area into three distinct areas with Mellett’s stronghold in Swinford, Lavin in Kiltimagh, and Henry further north in Charlestown.
Henry will have a tough battle in Charlestown with sitting councillor Gerry Murray popular in the area. The Sinn Féin man’s personal total of 1,782 first preference votes saw him go over the quota by 167 votes and pull in more than 22 per cent of the total vote for himself.
Fianna Fail is also going with a three man ticket, with sitting councillor Jimmy Maloney from Foxford on the ticket alongside John Caulfield from Kilkelly and Swinford’s Michael Smyth.
Only seven candidates are going to the post opposed to nine in 2004, with no Labour representative or Independent this time. Also like last time there are no women on the ballot paper, two put their names forward for the Fianna Fáil ticket but failed to get their nomination. Fine Gael was the big winner last time taking almost 45 per cent of the vote and taking two seats in the process. Fianna Fáil will have been disappointed in only getting 25 per cent of the total vote last time and hope to have improved on that, but with the party not popular in the opinion polls nationally, and a backlash expected in the forthcoming elections, it could be difficult for them to improve. Murray should retain his seat, while Lavin and Mellett look to hold on to their seats for Fine Gael, but the real battle is which of the three Fianna Fáil men will take a seat. Election counts can be long drawn out affairs, but with only seven men going to post and four seats up for grabs, it should be a quick affair in the count centre, but it should be an exciting one.
Outgoing candidates
Gerry Murray (SF ), Jimmy Maloney (FF ), Eugene Lavin (FG ), Joe Mellett (FG )
Other candidates
Cathal Henry (FG ) John Caulfield (FF ), Michael Smyth (FG )
