FINGAL COUNTY Council last night became the first local authority to nominate Senator David Norris for the presidency.
The Independent TCD Senator requires four local authorities or 20 members of the Oireachtas to give him their nomination before he can run in the election.
“We’re delighted, it’s great for democracy,” a spokeswoman for Mr Norris said. “We’re a quarter way up the hill.”
The nomination, which does not imply political support for his candidacy, was proposed by Independent councillor David O’Connor and Labour Mayor of Fingal, councillor Ken Farrell.
The vote was 12-5 in favour of the nomination.
Mr Norris wrote to the 34 eligible local authorities on March 14th seeking permission to address them on his efforts to receive a nomination.
He addressed Meath County Council in Navan yesterday and is due to address Wexford and Carlow on May 13th.
Meanwhile, Wexford County Council was due to be the first to vote on the nomination of Mr Norris yesterday after a motion was tabled by Fianna Fáil councillor Malcolm Byrne.
Mr Byrne proposed “that Wexford County Council agrees to nominate David Norris to be permitted to contest the office of President of Ireland”.
However, his motion was quashed after county secretary Niall McDonnell informed him that the council could not pass a resolution nominating a candidate before the presidential election order is made in September, ahead of the election in November.
In the letter to the council, Mr Norris sought the opportunity to make his case for its nomination. Chairman of Wexford County Council Michael Kinsella also revealed that businessman Seán Gallagher had called him last weekend asking to speak to members for the same reason.
However, Mr Byrne sought to press ahead with his motion on the grounds that “it’s not about endorsing David Norris – it’s about the right to contest”.
He pointed out that, in 1997, Wexford County Council was one of the local authorities that nominated Derek Nally, from north Wexford, to contest the presidential race.
Mr Byrne said the council should “nominate an Independent candidate and provide a maximum range of choice for the Irish people” and not let the choice of candidates be dominated by the political parties, including his own.
“We should support the principle of a non-party candidate getting their name on the ballot paper this autumn and it shouldn’t just be in the power of the political parties,” he said.