Search Results for 'first councillor'

Éamon Ó Cuív may have the safest seat in the State, and be FF’s ‘one sure thing’ in Galway West for Election 2016, but the party knows it cannot rely on him forever, and a range of future hopefuls are jostling for position to become his eventual successor.

Chief executive of Mayo County Council, Peter Hynes, responded to a query from Sinn Féin councillor Rose Conway-Walsh about claims made of planning irregularities in an unnamed county in the Sunday Independent last week. Mr Hynes responded to the councillors query saying: “I am aware of the coverage in a national newspaper at the weekend. You will be aware that no county was named in that and it appears that it might refer to Mayo, but as of now, we have had no communication from any agency or authority. If we are communicated with, as always we will co-operate fully with any investigation that takes place to its conclusion.” He concluded by saying that he couldn’t comment any further.

Where did it all go wrong is what the Fine Gael party faithful will be trying to figure out over the next few weeks as they saw their seats in the county town drop from four to two over the weekend. One man who won’t be asking that question is Independent Cllr Michael Kilcoyne who topped the poll with an amazing 2,921 votes, a massive 1,210 first preference votes over the quota of 1,711. From not long after the boxes were opened and spilled across the counting tables in the Royal Theatre in Castlebar early on Saturday morning, there was never any doubt that Kilcoyne was going to top the poll, it was only a matter of by how much. When he was elected on the first count, he was the first councillor in Ireland elected in this year’s local elections, but he had to wait until the early hours of Tuesday morning for the official declaration of election after the recount of the Castlebar papers had been concluded. More on that below.

“I have a degree and a masters and yet I’m unemployed. My generation is the lost generation. In me, voters saw someone who has stayed and can give the perspective of that generation in City Hall, and the perspective of my generation is needed.”

Following Councillor Frank Durcan’s actions at the last meeting of Mayo County Council, the Independent representative has been sent a letter from John Condon, County Secretary, asking him to adhere to the councillors’ code of conduct during council meetings.

Speaking in that unique east Galway accent of his, defeated FG councillor Michael Finnerty summed up the strength of the Paul Connaughton brand when he said to me afterwards “If young Conner-ton had only been named Sue or Seamus or Michael, but anything but Paul, I might have had a chance.”