Cathaoirleach accuses Minister for Finance of insulting the people of Mayo

Fri, May 29, 2009

At the February meeting of Mayo County Council, a proposal was made by the Fine Gael whip Councillor Paddy McGuinness and agreed by all parties that a meeting would be sought with the Minister for Finance to discuss the €8 million reduction in the 2009 road allocations for the county. Further to this, at the April meeting, the Cathaoirleach informed the members that the delegation would comprise representatives from each of the five counties in Connacht.

Cowen’s ballot blues

Fri, May 22, 2009

MANY PUNDITS considered the forthcoming local and Euro elections almost an irrelevance to national politics. The positions to be filled were deemed to be unimportant, not having any impact on Government. This ignored a truism - elections create fundamental fault lines in politics.

Fine Gael bid to repeat grand slam in Ballina

Fri, May 22, 2009

In 2004 Fine Gael won four out the six county council seats on offer in the Ballina electoral area.

Green collar jobs delivery in west should be wake-up call for Westport

Fri, May 22, 2009

Green Party candidate for Westport Town Council Fergus McAllister said that announcements this week of over 400 green jobs in the west should be a wake-up call to Westport that it must get serious about targeting green collar jobs if it wants to realistically overcome the present crisis and be competitive into the future.

Extra seat and retiring councillors line up exciting race

Fri, May 22, 2009

One more seat and three councillors retiring from politics makes the battle for the seven seats in the Castlebar electoral area one of the most interesting races in this year’s local elections. The transfers of Burriscarra, Portroyal and Roslee with their combined population of 1,327 people from the old Ballinrobe area to the Castlebar area has really thrown the race for seats in the county town wide open. There are 12 going to post on June 5 and, with only three sitting councillors going for re-election, there will be at the very least four new faces or maybe three new and one old representing the Castlebar area in the next council.

Courtney raps “Scrooge” Fianna Fáil

Fri, May 22, 2009

Bernie Courtney, Labour Party candidate for Castlebar Town Council, has rapped the Government for its total lack of sensitivity and callousness in its recent cutbacks.

Knocking on the doors for the first time

Fri, May 22, 2009

If you live in the Castlebar Town Council area, the chances are you’ve had a visit over the past few weeks from Noreen Heston. The first time Fine Gael candidate has for the last six weeks been literally going to every door in the town on the canvass trail. “I started out about six weeks ago on my canvass. I'm actually knocking on every door at the moment. The people are very welcoming of new candidates and female candidates. People say there is an awful lot of anger but there is also an awful lot of hurt.” Out on the canvass trail Heston has heard plenty of good and also sad stories, but it’s meeting the people and hearing their stories that has strengthened her resolve to get elected and do her best for the people.

Make education cutbacks an election issue, urges Mayo teacher

Fri, May 22, 2009

Mayo ASTI representative Greta Harrison has called on the parents and teachers of second level pupils to make the education cutbacks an issue in the upcoming local and European elections.

“These elections provide us with an opportunity to tell our politicians how the education cutbacks are affecting our schools,” said Ms Harrison, a teacher at St Mary’s Secondary School, Ballina.

Strike a blow for the future of Castlebar

Fri, May 15, 2009

Ireland is facing its worst economic crisis since World War II. Yet the Government is floundering in a sea of incompetence, totally bereft of ideas and imagination.

Moffatt calls on youth to vote for change

Fri, May 15, 2009

David Moffatt, Labour Party candidate for the Ballina Electoral Area, is appealing to young voters to cast their vote on Friday June 5. “I feel it is very important that the young people of north Mayo take an active part in this Local Election. I am a young person myself and I feel I represent the issues of these people. This Government has bypassed the electorate and has failed to listen to the people on the ground. We as politicians need to address the serious concerns that affect young people in the current recession.

O’Mahony calls on Calleary to act on unemployment figures

Fri, May 15, 2009

Mayo Fine Gael TD John O’Mahoney has said the publication of the latest live register figures for Mayo makes grim reading for the people of the county and puts huge onus on the newly appointed Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Dara Calleary TD, to start delivering sorely needed employment to the people who elected him to Dáil Éireann.

Kalu welcomes positive changes at Castlebar post office

Fri, May 15, 2009

Fine Gael town council candidate Okey Williams Kalu has welcomed the introduction of changes at Castlebar post office — the provision of fast track services for the elderly and the introduction of a postage stamp vending machine.

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