Tommy Reilly seat loss the big shock in day of drama

Four new councillors will join the nine-member Navan Town Council when it meets to elect a new Mayor of Navan following a keen contest at the count at Simonstown GAA Centre over the weekend. It has become almost fashionable to have a recount and Navan town was no exception, with a recount called on Saturday night, starting at 'high noon" on Sunday, and ending at 10pm. There were some shocks, too, as sitting Fianna Fail councillors, brothers Tommy and Christy Reilly, along with Fine Gael"s John Duffy, lost out. The biggest surprise was the loss of Tommy Reilly"s seat after 13 years of town council membership. His brother, Christy, had been co-opted to the council in 2005. John Duffy had been elected to the council for the first time in 2004. Fianna Fail will be seriously disappointed with its performance. Padraig Fitzsimons, a member of Fianna Fail"s political dynasty in Navan, at least avoided what is commonly known as 'The Mayor"s Curse" in which some sitting mayors and council chairpersons have sometimes taken a fall in the local elections. A relieved Cllr Fitzsimons (elected on the 13th count without reaching the quota) had solid backing during the long hours of the count from his father, Paddy, a former councillor, and uncle Jim, former MEP, and a host of family members and supporters. As Jim Fitzsimons put it during the arduous and long hours of the county: 'I"ve seen all this before. I"ve had more elections than hot dinners.' Another relieved Fianna Fail candidate, Shane Cassells, came home on the 12th count with a grand total of 983 votes. Another FF candidate, Marguerite Fitzsimons, polled 291 votes. All four new councillors stood out for one reason - the strength of their first preference votes. SIPTU Meath branch president and regional executive committee member Anton McCabe had 842 first preferences for the Labour Party, well within hailing distance of the quota of 865 (adjusted later in the count to 864). His party seems to have learned the lesson that the presence of two candidates on the ballot paper in the past has deprived them of a seat. Navan menswear retailer Francis Deane ran as an independent, having had a serious falling out with the Fine Gael party when he got a nomination for Navan Town Council but failed to be nominated for Meath County Council. His contretemps with the higher-ups did him no harm and, indeed, helped alienate many FG supporters who were supporting Deane. He polled 783 first preferences, gaining election on the seventh count. He was pushed over the line following the elimination of Fair Green campaigner Mary Vaughan. The Fair Green loomed large in this campaign. Vaughan, Deane and newly-elected independent councillor Phil Brennan all took an active part in what became known as the Save the Fair Green Committee. Brennan got 66 of Vaughan"s transfers, and Deane 39. The 'Big Beasts" of this campaign, to use a Westminster phrase, were Sinn Fein"s Joe Reilly and Fine Gael"s Jim Holloway. Reilly topped the poll with 863 first preference votes while Holloway marked up 854. The recent extension of the Navan town boundary, bringing in many new voters, may have boosted their first preference returns. Although Fine Gael may feel happy enough that it has held onto its representation of two seats, there could be questions over its decision to run a total of five candidates for a nine-member council. Suzanne Jamal, who runs a home accessories business, was one of the surprises of this campaign. She polled 527 first preference votes and was elected without reaching the quota on the 13th count and will join Jim Holloway on the council. In their case, her other running mates David Browne (267 1st preferences), John Duffy (463) and Michael Foley (201) would not be ashamed of their performances. Fianna Fail, too, may have felt it needed a spread of candidates in order to mop up seats. It ran five candidates but may not have reckoned with the national swing against Government parties. Brian Flanagan of the Green Party must have been sorely disappointed that he has failed to improve on his performance in the 2004 election. In that year, he polled 129 first preferences with a quota of 567. This time around, he polled 140 first preferences with a quota of 865. Although Sinn Fein has not increased its representation on the council, it managed to increase its vote. Joe Reilly is joined again by fellow party member and sitting councillor Peader Toibin. It is a mark of Toibin"s excellent performance that he was co-opted to Navan Town Council only as recently as 2007. He has taken up the running on the need for an economic resurgence of Navan and developed a comprehensive economic plan for job creation and enterprise in the town. SF ran three candidates in this election (and in 2004). This time around, Antoinette Rooney, a businesswoman and charity worker from Johnstown, polled 246 first preference votes. There was a stunningly high percentage transfer to Peadar Toibin when she was eliminated on the seventh count. Of her total of 263, 173 went to Toibin, raising a huge cheer from party supporters at Simonstown. The single piece of drama in this count came on Saturday night when, on the 10th count, just 23 votes separated Padraig Fitzsimons (582) from party colleague Tommy Reilly (559). Reilly called a recount, which started at noon on Sunday and continued until 10pm when Reilly, having managed to reduce the 23 down to 19, conceded defeat. Party representation on Navan Town Council now stands: FF 2 (-2), FG 2 (no change), Labour 1 (+1), SF 2 (no change), Independents 2 (+1).