In a little more than three weeks, voters will choose between thousands of candidates and fill more than 880 seats on various councils and corporations throughout the State.
The results will be important, not just for the quality of local democracy during the next five years, but because they could indicate the future composition of national governments. The election campaign has been underway for some time, with details of various party manifestos being published last week. But the public has yet to display any great interest in the process.
By their very nature, such campaigns tend to concentrate on local issues. And quality candidates can upset traditional voting patterns. In spite of that, local election results are frequently viewed as a judgment on the government of the day and the outcome tends to broadly reflect party strengths. On this occasion, surprise results are practically guaranteed because members of the Dáil and Seanad have been barred from holding dual mandates. The separation of functions will, it is hoped, encourage greater initiative, responsibility and accountability at local level and lead to more effective local government.
The ending of the dual mandate was part of a reform package that included a Constitutional referendum requiring local elections to be held every five years. More executive powers have been devolved to councillors. And there are plans for the direct election of city mayors. The point has been made that councillors exercise more direct power than the average backbench TD, even though unelected officials still tend to dictate the agenda. Councillors choose where houses will be built and decide on the quality of local services and roads, along with the charges that should be imposed to pay for them.
In 1999, Fianna Fáil won overall control of eight county councils with 39 per cent of the vote, while Fine Gael took 32 per cent of the seats available with only 28 per cent. Both parties are under severe pressure on this occasion. The Labour Party, the Green Party and particularly Sinn Féin are likely to gain significantly, while the Progressive Democrats have doubled the number of candidates in the expectation of benefiting from the economic feel-good factor.
Fine Gael, the Labour Party and the Green Party are treating the contests as a curtain-raiser for the coming general election and have already agreed an informal vote-transfer pact. They are concentrating on the promises that were broken by Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats in 2002 and have identified health and the Hanly report, education and housing as key areas of weakness.
The Government parties are offering better services and more social and affordable housing. But plans for decentralisation, involving the transfer of staff to all 25 counties outside of Dublin, may be their biggest vote-getter. The contest which will determine the future shape of national politics is underway.