FF and FG casualties as Deane takes top spot

An extraordinary personal performance by independent candidate Francis Deane saw him take top spot in the Navan electoral area - with a commanding 1,813 first preferences. The poll-topper was elected on the fourth count on Monday evening after the marathon counting of votes at the Trim GAA Centre continued into a third day when a recount was called after the 11th count on Sunday night. There were two casualties in this lengthy battle with Fine Gael"s Patsy O"Neill losing his seat after 30 years" unbroken service and Fianna Fail"s Jim Mangan also losing out. Along with Deane, the new faces on the council include Fine Gael"s Suzanne Jamal and Labour"s Jenny McHugh. Sitting councillors Joe Reilly, Jim Holloway, Tommy Reilly and Shane Cassells all were returned to serve another term. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael both lost seats in this election and they each took 26.2 per cent of first preference votes. The independents shared 19.7 per cent, Sinn Fein 15.6 per cent, Labour 9.8 and the Green Party 2.5 per cent.S Navan businessman Francis Deane had originally been selected by Fine Gael to run for Navan Town Council but later announced he was running as an independent in the Navan Electoral Area for Meath County Council as well as the town council. His departure from FG was widely believed to have resulted from his failure to be added to the party"s county council ticket. Nonetheless, the popular Trimgate Street menswear retailer acquitted himself superbly on his first political outing and was 'overwhelmed' by his victory, describing the support he received from his team of supporters as 'fantastic'. Along with himself, he said they had put in a huge effort on the ground since mid-March. 'There were a lot of local issues coming up on the doorsteps, such as parking and traffic. Navan is losing a lot of business because of it. People also want better communication between the council and themselves,' added Mr Deane, who acknowledged the support he had received, in particular, from the business community in Navan. Outgoing councillor Patsy O"Neill, who lost his seat after 30 years on the council, was philosophical about his defeat. 'That"s politics,' he said. He doubted he would enter the fray again in five years" time. 'It is probably the end of an era,' he added. Cllr James Mangan said he was disappointed but he had known it was going to be a bad election for Fianna Fail from his own canvass. He did not know if he would try again but said five years was a long time. 'You"d never know. I have always been interested in politics, people and the community,' he said. While Suzanne Jamal is a new face on the county council, she is no stranger to politics, having been a member of Ballybay Town Council in the 1990s, as was her father for many years. She said she knew she was going to get decent support because of the response she had got on the doorsteps and she had campaigned on issues such as the hospital as well as childcare services and services for older people. 'I am looking forward to working with my colleagues, a lot of whom are women, on the new council,' she said. She thanked her 'fantastic team', including campaign manager Paul Brady, her husband and family. Newly elected councillor Jenny McHugh said she, too, was delighted with her performance and thanked her supporters and campaign team. Education had been her priority and she said she hoped to secure sites for a new primary and second-level school in Navan. 'I will also be looking for more facilities for younger people in the Navan area,' she said. A strong performance from Sinn Fein"s Cllr Joe Reilly saw him pip Cllr Jim Holloway of Fine Gael for the second seat. The veteran SF councillor improved marginally on his 2004 showing by landing 1,612 first preference votes and declared himself very happy with his own performance, describing Navan as 'something of a bear pit' when it comes to politics. Fianna Fail"s Cllr Shane Cassells said he was very happy to have been returned to the council and been deemed worthy of representing the people of Navan. However, he acknowledged it had been a bad weekend for Fianna Fail. 'As an organisation, we have a lot of reflecting and soul-searching to do but we still polled well in all of the five electoral areas. Anyone predicting the demise of Fianna Fail would be foolish,' he said. Cllr Jim Holloway said it had been gratifying to be re-elected and said a big thank you to all his supporters. 'My success has been qualified by my disappointment that my great friend and colleague, John Duffy, lost his seat in the town council and wasn"t elected to the county council. It is also sad to see Patsy O"Neill lose his seat after 30 years,' he said. However, Cllr Holloway said Navan would have a wonderful new public representative in Suzanne Jamal and said he looked forward to serving the people of Navan with her.