Three new women councillors gain seats

Three new female councillors have joined four outgoing members in the Dunshaughlin electoral area, where the village of Dunshaughlin is now left without a council representative. The drop in support for Fianna Fail saw Oliver Brooks lose his seat in Dunshaughlin, despite the fact that there was an extra seat added to the Dunshaughlin electoral area. Independent Brian Fitzgerald topped the poll, with Nick Killian and Noel Leonard of Fianna Fail holding onto their seats, as well as Ashbourne Independent Joe Bonner. There will be three new councillors representing the area: Regina Doherty of Fine Gael in Ratoath; Niamh McGowan, Labour, in Ashbourne, and Maria Murphy of Fine Gael in Dunboyne. Sitting councillor, Independent candidate and former Fine Gael member, Charles Bobbett, also lost his seat in the area, while former councillors John Fanning and Conor Tormey, both from Ashbourne, also failed to be elected, with Tormey hanging on until the last count which saw Murphy and Leonard elected on his elimination, just after midnight yesterday (Tuesday) morning. Fitzgerald topped the poll on the first count, and said he was just delighted to be elected. 'Everything after that was a bonus,' the former Labour TD said. Paying tribute to his election team and director, he said it was his fifth local election and 11th in all, and the plan was to stick to areas they knew well, as there was such a large number of candidates (17) in the area. He was hopeful of 2,000 votes, with his team having canvassed 1,300 homes in the campaign. He indicated that he would be pursuing the issue of job creation in the county, as well as addressing other major issues that were now beginning to develop as a result of the economic situation. Former general election candidate Regina Doherty of FG will be joining sitting councillor Nick Killian in Ratoath. 'I was very hopeful,' she said. 'But I have come to realise that you cannot take anything for granted, having believed that we could take two seats in the last general election. That result was a smack in the face and makes you more cautious. While others in the team were getting excited, I wasn"t.' Her campaign began last November, canvassing three nights a week, going up to four and all day Saturday this year. Labour"s Niamh McGowan, one of three Labour candidates in Dunshaughlin, also started her campaign before Christmas, and was delighted with the response to the strong work in rebuilding the Labour Party. Like the other candidates, she thanked her teams. She first got involved with Labour while canvassing for Cllr Dominic Hannigan, and also with Senator Alex White in Dublin. 'What I want to do is make the council more relevant and accessible to the people,' she said. 'Many people are just not familiar with how the council should work for them, or how to get in contact with it to raise issues. I want to be able to be a voice for all of the area, especially Ashbourne, and it is important that Dunshaughlin is not overlooked either,' she said. Maria Murphy and Cllr Noel Leonard, both Dunboyne, were elected on the last count without reaching the quota, with Murphy echoing the views of many of the newly elected councillors, highlighting the need for community facilities for young and old in the context of proper planning, especially in relation to antisocial behaviour around Dunboyne. She said she was delighted and honoured to be elected to represent the people of Dunboyne. It had been five years in the making, as she had run as an independent in the last election. A recount was called on Monday morning by Cllr Oliver Brooks" campaign team following the seventh count, as there was a difference of 17 votes between him and the candidate above him, party colleague Conor Tormey. However, Cllr Brooks conceded that it was not going to make any difference and he was eliminated, with the majority of his votes transferring to Cllr Leonard. The Dunshaughlin representative said he was disappointed, not so much for himself, but for the Dunshaughlin and Kilmessan areas, who no longer have any representation. Cllr Brooks was first co-opted to fill Mary Wallace"s seat in 1997, and was elected on two occasions since. The Fine Gael representative in Dunshaughlin, Gerry O"Connor, also failed to be elected, conceding that he was six votes behind party colleague Maria Murphy on the 12th count before his elimination. John Fanning was eliminated on the eighth count and Conor Tormey departed the contest in the final and 14th count at 12.05am on Tuesday morning, at which point Murphy and Leonard were elected without reaching the quota of 2,112.