Two councillors have change of heart on running in summer poll

Two sitting Meath County Councillors who had previously indicated they would not be running in this year"s local elections are to seek seats in the June poll. Cllr Charles Bobbett said his name will be on the local election ballot paper next June, regardless of whether of not he is selected by the Fine Gael party, while Cllr Liz McCormack, Athboy, the current cathaoirleach, is to run again for Fianna Fail. Last year, Cllr Bobbett, from Ashbourne, indicated that he was leaving politics and did not go forward for the Fine Gael party selection convention for the Dunshaughlin Electoral Area. However, in recent months, he changed his mind and sought to be added to the ticket. At the convention, the party had selected four candidates, one from each of the main towns in the area, including former councillor John Fanning in Ashbourne. It is understood that Cllr Bobbett will not be added to the Fine Gael ticket as the selection process is now concluded. 'It is still my intention to run in the election,' Cllr Bobbett said yesterday (Tuesday). 'There are seven seats available in the Dunshaughlin Electoral Area and I intend having one of them.' He said he was continuing his work as a public representative and was active in the community. 'I"m looking in a positive light at the election as I believe in local democracy and the fact that people like myself who have an interest in local affairs should have the opportunity to serve,' he added. 'They shouldn"t be hiding their light under a bushel.' Cllr Bobbett says that while his politics has always been Fine Gael, he is also an individual who intends continuing to represent the Dunshaughlin Electoral Area. In the Slane Electoral Area, meanwhile, former independent candidate Pat O"Brien has joined Cllr Anne Dillon Gallagher on the Fine Gael election ticket. Mr O"Brien, a well-known environmental campaigner, said he was approached by the party and, after considering the idea, decided that he would go forward. He ran in the last local elections and in the general election on environmental and community issues, and had a high profile in the campaign against the Duleek incinerator and power plant projects. 'One of my main reasons for running is to seek the establishment of an Environmental Protection Agency regional office in the area, so that proper monitoring and control of the licences can be carried out - it"s what the people of this area deserve having had all these developments foisted upon them,' the Duleek man said. In Navan, Cllr Jim Holloway and Cllr Patsy O"Neill have been joined by Navan town councillor John Duffy on the Fine Gael county council ticket. The town council ticket consists of sitting councillors Holloway and Duffy, along with political newcomers Francis Deane, David Browne and Suzanne Jamal. Meanwhile, the cathaoirleach of Meath County Council, Cllr Liz McCormack, has reversed her decision not to seek re-election to the local authority in this year"s elections. Cllr McCormack, from Athboy, has been named by Fianna Fail as one of four candidates to run in the Kells Electoral Area. The others are sitting Kells councillor Bryan Reilly, former candidate Dominic Moran from Carlanstown and Oldcastle businessman Ollie Fox. In September 2008, Cllr McCormack announced her intention to step down this year after serving for 10 years as a public representative. However, the failure of any candidate to emerge from the area of Athboy and its hinterland, combined with party pressure, caused Cllr McCormack to change her mind. 'I felt there was a huge area around Athboy and its surrounds that would have no candidate running in the election,' Cllr McCormack said this week. 'None from any party has emerged in the past six months, and it is now getting quite close to the election date,' she added. 'And it is quite a large and important area.' The current council chairperson said there are a lot of community groups in the area who had worked closely in partnership with the county council in the past, and they were doing good work which she wanted to see continued. 'I have had requests, not alone from members of Fianna Fail, but also from non-political people in Athboy, to continue on, as the feeling is that it would be a shame if an effort was not made to continue to have the area represented,' she added. Last year"s decision to take a step back was taken when she was starting off a very busy year as council cathaoirleach. The decision of Cllr Michael Lynch not to run in the elections is understood to have caused the party to ask Cllr McCormack to review her position, as it is understood that she was not approached about running until after he had made his intentions clear. It is believed she had received 'strong requests" from Fianna Fail to reconsider her position. Her running mates are Kells town and county councillor Bryan Reilly, Dominic Moran from Carlanstown, who polled very well in the 2004 local election, and newcomer Ollie Fox, who was nominated by the Oldcastle FF Cumann.