Laois backs Norris; Roscommon and Carlow choose Dana; Limerick endorses Davis
LAOIS
LAOIS COUNTY Council became the second council to nominate Senator David Norris yesterday morning on a seven to four majority, with the Fine Gael councillors abstaining from the vote. Independent councillor Rotimi Adebari, who was the first black mayor in Ireland, nominated the Trinity Dublin Senator. He said he was supporting David Norris in the presidential election because of what he stood for – equality, justice and fairness. Mr Adebari said the council had never shied away from making history.
“When I was elected as Mayor of Portlaoise four years ago, history was made. We wont shy away from history now.”
Fianna Fáil councillor Pádraig Fleming forced the council to a vote. Leaving the meeting, Mr Norris said he would not be publishing any more letters of representation he had sent in the case of Ezra Nawi, as he said the others were just variations and he had dealt with it comprehensively.
He said he was now moving on into the campaign because the people of Ireland had shown they still wanted him.
ASHLING MACKEY
ROSCOMMON
Dana Rosemary Scallon described the process of getting on to the ballot paper as “nerve racking” after she secured a nomination from Roscommon County Council yesterday marking the half-way point in her attempt to get into the field. The former MEP who expressed her “absolute delight” after getting the nod in Roscommon, told councillors that she felt she needed to explain why she had got involved in the process, so late.
She had been asked the question many times, she said, but the main reason was that she and her family had suffered a “very tumultuous” two years during which eight family members had passed away. “Emotionally as a family we were reeling from that”, she said.
Twelve members of the council voted in favour of a proposal by Fianna Fáil’s Paddy Kilduff that she be nominated.
There were 13 abstentions, many by Fine Gael councillors and one councillor was absent. Nobody voted against.
Senator David Norris did not attend the Roscommon meeting and a motion asking councillors to nominate him was withdrawn.
MARESE McDONAGH
CARLOW
David Norris’s road to the Áras was delivered a blow yesterday when Carlow County Council opted to support Dana Rosemary Scallon.
The Senator was present in council chambers to hear Thomas Kinsella (FG), the council cathaoirleach, deliver his casting vote which ruled against the council backing Norris.
Carlow’s 11 Fine Gael councillors abstained from voting for either Mr Norris or Ms Scallon, leaving just 10 councillors to decide the fate of both candidates.
Four Fianna Fáil councillors, John Pender, Anne Ahern, Arthur McDonald and Jennifer Murnane O’Connor were joined by Independent councillor Charlie Murphy in voting against Mr Norris while voting in favour was Labour councillors William Paton, Willie Quinn, Caroline Townsend and Jim Townsend who were joined by Independent Walter Lacey. With the vote split, Mr Kinsella made his casting vote against the Senator and said that while he was “aware of the gravitas of his decision”, he “acted as I thought best”.
He added that he felt Mr Norris is “too controversial” a candidate to have in the Áras and feared “there is more in his past to be revealed, but I’m not sure what”.
Dana Rosemary Scallon received the overall support of the council with seven votes in favour, including the four Fianna Fáil members along with the independent councillors Charlie Murphy and Walter Lacey and Labour's Des Hurley. MAIREAD WILMOT
LIMERICK
Limerick County Council formally gave its backing to presidential candidate Mary Davis. Members of the local authority had already pledged their support for the Independent candidate after she addressed them during the summer.
At their monthly meeting yesterday they formally endorsed the nomination which Fianna Fáil councillor Kevin Sheahan claimed "proves we are people of our word". There was a heated moment when Fine Gael councillor David Naughton accused Ms Davis of being a "blocking candidate". He claimed she continued to canvass the support of other local authorities after she had secured commitments from the required four councils to support her bid for the Áras.
KATHRYN HAYES