Vacancy on Meath Co Council following Nelson Murray election to Seanad

Is Navan Fine Gael branch chairman Ross Kelly next in line?

Fine Gael has yet to set a date for a co-option convention in the Navan Municipal Area following the election of Linda Nelson Murray to the Senate last week.

Cllr Nelson Murray – who had only been elected to Meath County Council for the first time last June - has had a short stint on the local authority, as she has been elected to the 27th Seanad on the Industrial and Commercial Panel.

She had been the Fine Gael candidate in Meath West in November's General Election, but failed to retain the party seat held by outgoing Dáil deputy, Damien English.

Of the three Fine Gael candidates who ran in last June's Local Elections, Yemi Adenuga was re-elected to the council, while Nelson Murray is now a senator. That leaves their running mate, Ross Kelly, the chairperson of the Navan Fine Gael organisation, as the obvious choice for the vacancy.

He has carried the flag for Fine Gael in the past two local elections, and has been very vocal on issues such as commuter woes and youth mental health.

The 28-year-old is a financial analyst who works remotely for a financial services company based in Dublin city, and is a Peace Commissioner.

His election campaign last year was launched by Kenneth Egan, the Olympian who served a number of terms as a Fine Gael councillor in Dublin. Senator Nelson Murray thanked him for his endorsement and help canvassing during last year's General Election in a campaign video.

Fine Gael party headquarters has confirmed that a convention will take place over the coming weeks to fine a replacement public representative for the Navan area, but a date is not yet set.