66 Do Battle For 32 Seats on Waterford City and County Council

The closing date for receipt of nominations for this year’s local elections closed at the weekend with those whose name were submitted having until noon today (Tuesday May 7) to withdraw their name for the race if they so wish.

In Waterford 66 names will contest the local elections in six different electorate areas. 31 of the 32 sitting councillors have decided to seek re-election for the next five year term, Ballymacarbry based Councillor Michael Joseph O’Ryan the only councillor deciding not to seek re-election and in doing so ended over a century of service to the people of the county.

Of the 66 that will be contesting the election for a place on the council for the next five years, 26 are doing so for the first time, while a number of candidates standing who were not elected in 2014 have previously served on either Waterford City Council or Waterford County Council before the two local authorises were merged into one in 2014.

Nine candidates will stand for five seats in the new look Portlaw-Kilmacthomas electorate area, previously the Comeragh Electorate area.

Sitting Councillors – Liam Brazil (Fine Gael), Declan Clune (Sinn Fein), Ray Murphy (Fianna Fail), John O’Leary (Fianna Fail) and Seanie Power (Fine Gael) will be joined by former member of Waterford County Council Ger Barron (Labour) as well as first time candidates Mairead Coffey Jacob (Fine Gael) and Independents Ann Troy and Dolores Whelan.

The Dungarvan-Lismore electorate area is split into two areas for the next five years with the Dungarvan area getting to elect six councillors and Lismore three.

In the Dungarvan Electorate area outgoing Councillors Tom Cronin (Fianna Fail), Damien Geoghegan (Fine Gael), Pat Nugent (Fine Gael), Seamus O’Donnell (Independent) and Siobhan Whelan will all be looking to be re-elected after serving for the past five years on Waterford City and County Council and will have one more with them this time out after it was decided the area should have six councillors.

Joining them on the ballot paper will be Conor D. McGuinness (Sinn Fein), Sean French (Fianna Fail), Caren Hallahan (Independent), Ciara Langan (Independent), Ian Noctor (Fine Gael), Joe O’Riordan (Independent), Thomas Phelan (Labour) and Ann Marie Rossiter (Fianna Fail).

The three outgoing Candidates in the Lismore area Declan Doocey (Fine Gael), John Pratt (Labour) and James Tobin (Fianna Fail) will be joined on the ticket by Louise Brierly (Sinn Fein) and Lynne Glasscoe (Green Party) for three seats.

Six seats will be up for grabs in the three areas in and around the city area.

In the Tramore – Waterford City West area outgoing Councillors Joe Conway (Independent), Jim Griffin (Sinn Fein), Blaise Halligan (Independent), Joe Kelly (Independent), Lola O’Sullivan (Fine Gael) and Eamon Quinlan (Fianna Fail) all face a massive task to retain their seats.

Along with the six outgoing councillors on the Ballot paper will be the names of eight others,  Brendan Byrne (Independent), Una Dunphy (People Before Profit), Michael Gallwey (Renua), Leslie Hughes (Sinn Fein), Maxine Keoghan (Fine Gael), Rita Lacey (Fianna Fail), Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Green Party) and Melissa O’Neill (Independent).

In Waterford City East Sharon Carey (Fine Gael), David Daniels (Independent), Pat Fitzgerald (Sinn Fein), Eddie Mulligan (Fianna Fail), Matt Shanahan (Independent) and Adam Wyse (Fianna Fail) are the outgoing councillors and will have to fend off opposition from Fiona Dowd (Fine Gael), Michael Doyle (Sinn Fein), Michael Garland (Independent), Jody Power (Green Party) and Lee Walsh (Independent) if they are to be re-elected.

Another big field have declared for the six seats in Waterford City South.

The outgoing candidates here are Breda Brennan (Sinn Fein), John Cummins (Fine Gael), John Hearne (Sinn Fein), Jason Murphy (Fianna Fail) Laurence Cha O’Neill (Independent) and Sean Reinhardt (Independent), are up against Donal Barry (Independent), Vivienne Burns (Independent), Brendan Byrne (Independent), Ronan Cleary (Aontú), Warren Fitzgerald (Sinn Fein), Susan Gallagher (Green Party), Andrew Power (Independent) and Seamus Ryan (Labour).

In the elections in 2014 in the Comeragh Area, there was an electorate of 15,534 with a valid vote of 9,028 with a quota set at 1,280.

Michael Joseph O’Ryan and Liam Brazil both were elected on the first count both receiving nearly 200 votes each above the quota.

John O’Leary and Declan Clune were both elected on the eight count both having passed the quota. Seanie Power was elected on the ninth county having received one vote over the quota with Mary Butler getting elected on the same count without reaching the set quota. Mary Butler would resign her seat in 2016 after she was elected to the Dáil as a Fianna Fail Deputy for Waterford and was replaced by Ray Murphy.

Those failing to get elected in the Comeragh Area in 2014 were Brendan Coffey (Fine Gael), Seanie Walsh (Independent), Ger Barron (Labour) Doctor David Janes (Direct Democracy), Michael Flynn (Independent), and David Kirwan (Independent).

The Dungarvan-Lismore electorate area in 2014 had eight seats.

Damien Geoghegan topped the pole with 1,337 Number 1’s, passing the quota of 1312 votes needed from an electorate of 22,774.  

Pat Nugent and James Tobin both passed the quota in the fourth and fifth count respectfully, while Siobhan Whelan was elected on the seventh count.

John Pratt, Tom Cronin, Declan Doocey and Seamus O’Donnell were all elected in the eight count without reaching the quota needed.

Louise Brierley (Sinn Fein), Nicky Sheehan (Labour), Michael Cosgrove (Fine Gael), Midi de Paor Walsh (Independent), Ann Marie Rossiter (Fianna Fail) and Michael (The Mad Hatter) Wright {RIP} (Independent) were also on the Ballot Paper.

The Tramore – Waterford City West had an electorate of 16,028 in 2014 with the quota set at 1,196 for the six seats.

Joe Conway was the first to be elected reaching the quota on the eight count. Jim Griffin was elected on the eleventh count, with Joe Kelly, Blaise Halligan, Lola O’Sullivan and Eamon Quinlan elected without a quota on the twelfth count.

Ann Marie Power (Independent), Hilary Quinlan (Fine Gael), Pat Daly (Fianna Fail), David Lane (Sinn Fein), Davy Walsh (Workers Party), Dee Jacques (Labour), Pat Finnerty ( Independent), Dick Roche (Independent), Maxine Keoghan (Fine Gael), Jenna Keane (Independent), Monica Melay (Independent) and Brian Hearne (Workers Party) making up the remainder of the field back in 2014.

Waterford City East had a electorate of 19,090 and the quota was set at 1,118, and in the first round of counting Pat Fitzgerald and Davy Daniels passed this number.

John Carey would pass the figure on the eleventh count. He died in 2018 and his daughter Sharon was co-opted onto the council in his place and she will contest this year’s election.

Also getting elected on the same county were Adam Wyse and Mary Roche. The latter would resign her place on the council in recent months and was replaced by Matt Shanahan who will contest this years election.

Eddie Mulligan as an Independent was elected on the twelfth count without reaching the quota. Eddie Mulligan went on to join the Fianna Fail Party after getting elected in 2014.

Jim D’Arcy (Fine Gael), Neil White (Independent), Tom Cunningham (Fine Gael), Jack Walsh (Labour), Liz Murphy (Fianna Fail), Eamon McGrath (Fianna Fail), Joan Quirke (People Before Profit), John Walsh (Independent) and Larry McCarthy (Direct Democracy) also contested in this area in 2014.

Waterford City South in 2014 had an electorate of 12,181 with the quota set at 1,032.

Sinn Fein’s John Hearne topped the poll and was elected on the first count with his party colleague Breda Brennan elected on the eighth count.

John Cummins was elected on the tenth count surpassing the quota with Jason Murphy, Sean Reinhardt and Laurence (Cha) O’Neill getting elected on the same count without reaching the quota.

Seamus Ryan (Labour), Willie Moore (Workers Party), Tom Murphy (Independent), Donal Barry (Independent), David O’Brien (Independent), Keith Nolan (Independent), Gary Hogan (Direct Democracy) and Eddie Walsh made up the remainder of the ballot paper in this area.

Something tells me with a number of issues getting a lot of media coverage in Waterford in the last while that this could well be an interesting election. Whether National Issues affecting Waterford can be resolved at a local level remains to be seen. The numbers entering the race for one of 32 seats tells me that there is some that feel that they can do something about the issues that affects Waterford and indeed the South east. Something also tells me that of the 31 councillors that are seeking re-election not all will be returned. How many wont – right now we will have to wait and see.