A resolution not to support any candidates in the forthcoming presidential election has been passed by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
At the council’s monthly meeting on Monday night, members voted 22 to 15 in favour of the resolution “not to exercise its power to nominate a candidate for election to the presidency”.
At the start of the debate, council cathaoirleach Jim Gildea told members that if the resolution was not approved in a vote, a special council meeting would have to be held to debate support for potential candidates. Mr Gildea said he was privy to a number of conversations in which members had expressed the desire to not nominate any candidate for the presidential race. Therefore, he said, he did not want to call an unnecessary meeting.
The resolution not to nominate any candidates had been proposed by a majority of the council’s Organisation, Procedure and Protocol Committee in June. It had been referred to the full council for ratification in July, when it had not been reached on the agenda.
RM Block
Stephen Brady, the council’s director of corporate affairs, said contact had been received from three potential candidates up to last Friday. Five more had come in over the weekend and one more had been received on Monday.
Supporting the resolution not to nominate any candidates, Michael Clark of Fianna Fáil said he was committed to supporting his party’s candidate, who would be selected on Tuesday. Mr Clark sought clarification whether the resolution, if passed, would preclude the council from changing its mind and holding a special meeting before the close of nominations. Mr Brady responded that no council resolution could be revisited before a six-month period elapses.
However, Labour councillor Peter O’Brien recalled the current President Michael D Higgins had, in the 2011 election, asked his supporters on county councils to approve the nomination of David Norris to enter the race. Mr O’Brien asked the councillors to defeat the resolution “to protect local democracy”.
The presidential election will take place on Friday, October 24th. In order to appear on the ballot paper, prospective candidates must be nominated by at least 20 members of the Oireachtas or at least four local authorities.
South Dublin Co Council
Meanwhile, South Dublin County Council will host a special meeting next Friday, September 19th, to hear from prospective presidential candidates.
A separate meeting of the council will be held directly afterwards to determine whether or not to nominate any candidates.
The update was provided by Colm Ward, chief executive of the council, at its monthly meeting at County Hall in Tallaght on Monday afternoon. Candidates will “come in and put forward their case to yourselves”, councillors were told.
Fingal County Council
Former mixed-martial arts fighter Conor McGregor has told Fingal County Council he will seek its nomination to contest the presidential election at a special meeting later this week.
McGregor’s name was among 12 on the list of potential candidates shown to councillors when they voted on Monday evening to hold a hybrid meeting on Friday to vote on a potential nominee.
McGregor lost a civil rape case last year.
Councillors heard it was not yet clear whether any of the 12 had secured the sponsorship of four councillors that is required to allow their name to go forward on Friday.
“I don’t have any information in terms of anybody having the sponsorship of four councillors,” Mary Egan, Fingal council director of services, told the meeting.
“We won’t know that presumably until tomorrow or when people start submitting their information into us, and it may well be that we don’t have a meeting on Friday.”
The others on the list included Independents Nick Delehanty and Gareth Sheridan, who have already declared their candidacies.
Also listed were Joseph Orbi, Keith McGrory, Lorna McCormack, William Allen, William (Billy) O’Connell, Walter Ryan-Purcell, Gerben Uunk and Mosharaf Hossain Chowdhury.
The remaining name was “Barry Wheely Row”, the title given to a wheelbarrow put forward as a mock candidate in the election.
In the last presidential election in 2018, Independents Peter Casey, Seán Gallagher, Joan Freeman and Gavin Duffy were nominated to run through county councils.
Councils across the country are holding special meetings to hear from potential candidates. Nominations opened on September 5th and will close on Wednesday, September 24th.
