|
|
Fine Gael triumph in Buncrana
11.02.09
FF loses seat, SF and
Inds hold seats
by Damian Dowds, Inishowen
Independent
Fine Gael has replaced Fianna Fáil as the largest
party on Buncrana Town Council, while Sinn Féin –
who had looked in danger of losing a seat – held
onto their two seats and Independents retained their
two seats. Fianna Fáil, for whom sitting councillors
Dermot McLaughlin and Rose Cullen did not contest
the election, returned two councillors but lost a
seat.
Fine Gael’s overall vote was up from 595 in 2004 to
942 this time around, with Fianna Fáil’s vote
falling from 822 to 578 in the same period. Sinn
Féin’s vote fell marginally from 589 to 571.
Fine Gael’s Lee Tedstone won a massive personal vote
in his first outing in politics, taking a poll
topping 417 votes and was elected on the first count
along with sitting councillors Pádraig Mac Lochlainn
(Sinn Féin) and Nicholas Crossan (Independent). |
 |
Independent Mickey
Grant, who was co-opted onto the Town Council last
year in place of the late Cllr Philip Diggin, took
286 first preferences and was elected on the second
count. Cllr Joe Doherty, the only outgoing Fianna
Fáil councillor to contest the election, was elected
on the fifth count after the distribution of |
|
Tedstone’s, Mac
Lochlainn’s, Crossan’s and Grant’s surpluses. But it
was once the elimination of the bottom markers
commenced that the real moves started to be made. At
one stage, it seemed Fine Gael could win four seats
and Sinn Féin’s gamble of fielding three candidates
looking like it could backfire with the party losing
its second seat. The party polled just under two
quotas, but with Daren Lalor and Ciaran McGuinness
trailing Peter McLaughlin and Paul Bradley by some
50 votes they looked in danger of losing out.
However, a disciplined system of inter-party
transfers ensured Sinn Féin held their two seats. |
|
Sitting Fine Gael
councillors Peter McLaughlin and Paul Bradley were
neck and neck throughout the afternoon, with
McLaughlin’s ability to attract more transfers
helping him move ahead of his colleague by the 6th
count. Similarly, Daren Lalor’s ability to attract
transfers edged him ahead of Ciaran McGuinness and
ensured that McGuinness was |
 |
eliminated first. The
elimination of Mairead Diggin on the 7th count
boosted her party colleague James Gill to the tune
of 50 votes, leaving him within 11 votes of the
quota and virtually assured of election. Gill’s 200
first preference votes was impressive for a first
time candidate, especially one who entered the fray
at the 11th hour. Sinn Féin’s Ciaran McGuinness was
eliminated on the 8th count. With almost 60% of
McGuinness’ tally – 82 votes – going to party
colleague Daren Lalor it helped the sitting
councillor jump 31 votes ahead of Paul Bradley,
consigning him to tenth position, one place outside
the nine available seats. Bradley’s last remaining
hope was that he would benefit from Sheenagh
McMahon’s transfers to a much greater extent than
either Peter McLaughlin or Daren Lalor. While she
doubled the Green Party’s vote over 2004, McMahon
never really got into the running but it was her
transfers that effectively decided the final four
seats. James Gill picked up 28 votes exceeding the
quota and taking the sixth seat.
Paul Bradley’s hopes of retaining his seat
evaporated with Peter McLaughlin getting 24
transfers to Bradley’s 19, and while Bradley closed
the gap on Darren Lalor from 31 to 24 it wasn’t
enough. The tenth count, which saw the distribution
of Gill’s surplus of 25 votes, had no bearing on the
final outcome. With only four candidates remaining
and three seats to be filled, Michelle Bradley,
Daren Lalor and Peter McLaughlin were elected
without reaching the quota while Paul Bradley, who
was first elected to the council in 1999, lost his
seat. There will be plenty of new faces on the new
Town Council when it meets for the first time.
Sitting councillors Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, Nicholas
Crossan, Mickey Grant, Joe Doherty, Daren Lalor and
Peter McLaughlin will be joined by new councillors
Lee Tedstone, Michelle Bradley and James Gill. In
addition, the retirement of Liam Kelly means there
will also be a new Town Manager. |
|
