DUAL CANDIDATES:SEVERAL CANDIDATES running in the Dublin byelections have defended their decision to also run for local elections even though success in both polls would mean co-opting an unelected councillor for a full five-year term.
Fianna Fáil candidate in Dublin Central Maurice Ahern admitted co-option for a full council term was “probably unfair” but said he intended to keep his name on the local election list.
“I agree that it’s not very nice for someone who lost out on a seat by a few votes to see someone co-opted, but at least we are running three candidates for the council in Dublin Central, so whoever would be co-opted would at least have run in the local elections.”
One of the longest serving Dublin city councillors, Sinn Féin’s Christy Burke, has been a member of the local authority since 1985. Having championed similar causes to the late Tony Gregory, Mr Burke is also a strong prospect for that Dáil seat.
Mr Burke said that he did not have a problem with parties co-opting their members on to the council.
“That’s life. They are the rules. I would like to see a byelection every time someone leaves the council but then you would have had 15 byelections in Dublin city in the last year.”
However, in this instance he believes the byelection should have been held on a different day to avoid what he says will be inevitable confusion.
“I think it’s terribly unfortunate that it’s happening this way.
“People are going to be faced with three ballot papers on the one day with some of the same names on them – confusion is guarantees.”
Independent council Maureen O’Sullivan, who worked with Mr Gregory for many years, said she would have “an uphill battle” to secure the Dáil seat, but said if she did get a city council and a Dáil seat anyone co-opted to the council in her stead would be an independent community voice.
The Green Party candidate in the Dublin South byelection, Elizabeth Davidson, said a vote for her was a Green vote, and anyone co-opted would have a green mandate.
The Labour Party is not running any local election candidates for the byelections, and Dublin city council Labour group leader Kevin Humphreys believes that the loophole which allows candidates to run for both should be closed.
“This is a flaw in the legislation, and I have to say Labour has been guilty of running the same candidate for the local and European elections in the past.
“But I think there needs to be a change in the legislation so people have to pick one or the other.”
In the absence of a ban on running for both seats, Mr Humphreys believes there should be a list system, as for the European elections, where the name of the candidate’s replacement appears on the ballot.
Dublin Council has 15 co-opted or unelected councillors, most of whom have joined the council in the last two years following the 2007 general election.
Several replaced councillors elected to the Dáil but more were co-opted to replace those who resigned for personal reasons.
However, all those co-opted are serving just a portion of the five-year council term. An individual co-opted as a result of Dáil byelection success will, uniquely, be entitled to serve a full council term without any mandate from the electorate.
