“Perhaps I should have ran for the county council before when I was a bit younger, but I have enjoyed my four and a half years so far and I’m looking forward to seeing out the last few months.” With the official news breaking this week that Fine Gael party whip Paddy McGuinness would not be running for re-election, it brings to an end the public life for a second time of the popular County Monaghan native. McGuinness, who had stepped away from public life before after a number of terms on Castlebar Town Council, was tempted back into public life when Enda Kenny came calling before the last local elections. “I had come in to do a job last time around and I was very tempted to stay on, but I had made a decision before that I would be doing one term and I had to stick with it.” The job as McGuinness saw it was to help the party grow and bring them all together as one for the term of the council which, for the most part, he has done very successfully.
“Well before the last election, Enda Kenny had only just become party leader and I knew there would be a lot of scrutiny on him and how the party got on in the local and European elections, especially in Mayo. I thought that I could help and I ran and got elected. My job was to try and bring everyone together and as party whip in the council chamber to keep the 15 of us speaking with the one voice as much as possible”.
Keeping the party to one voice
The job of party whip is a tough one, and McGuinness knew that it was going to be a challenge but one which he embraced with relish. “All my previous experience with politics was as an independent where I was speaking just for myself, so this was a completely new challenge for me. I not only had to speak for the party, but to get the other 14 councillors on board. It’s not that easy a task, because everyone has their own opinions and views on things, but to have everyone singing off the same sheet can be hard at times. But through discussion and working together we were able to come together and speak as one. When I first got elected it was a very trying time because of the Corrib gas issue and we had people in jail. But we came together as a party and stuck to a consensus on the issue as we had to do. It’s very easy be a maverick and throw stones from the side, but to be part of a united front can be a lot tougher at times even if you are the majority party in the council.”
Getting things done
While some may see the local council as nothing more than a talking shop where not much work gets done, McGuinness is extremely proud of a number of initiatives he’s been involved in in the last five years. “The SPC work is something that a lot of people might not notice going on but I really enjoyed that and from it we came up with the Mayo walking development plan in conjunction with the Mayo County Development Board, which I’m very proud of. Other things like the Mayo Science Week and the Ideas Lab are two fantastic initiatives that have taken off in the past few years and will help people greatly in the future. Those are the things that I will remember after my term is over.”
Next year’s elections
With McGuinness’s seat now up for grabs and an extra seat being added to the table in the Castlebar electoral area, McGuinness is confident that Fine Gael will not only retain his seat but also pick up the new seat on offer. “ I would be very confident that my seat will be kept by the party and now with a new one to be won, I don’t see any reason that Fine Gael won’t pick up four seats in Castlebar. With the right candidates, the right strategy and dividing the areas out properly then the four seats are there to be taken.” But in the lead-up to next June’s ballot, you won’t be seeing McGuinness calling to your door with flyers and leaflets. “I’m going to step away, I won’t be out on the campaign. I’ll have done my five years and it will be time for me to step away from it all and let someone else take up the challenge.”
