Having initially been cast as a potential kingmaker, Tramore independent Joe Conway concedes that today’s Waterford County Council ‘power-sharing’ vote looks a fait accompli.
Earlier this week both Tramore and Dungarvan Town Councils elected new mayors based upon Fine Gael-Labour pacts. As reported elsewhere this section, the Tramore mayoralty and committee positions were divided up between the two main parties on Monday night, with Cllr Conway (pictured) claiming ‘a breach of faith’.
That’s because members of the outgoing council had indicated last April that whoever topped the poll should be mayor initially, with the next four vote-getters receiving the honour in rotation over the five-year term.
But when it came to the vote the four new FG incumbents combined to enable Labour’s Paddy O’Callaghan take the chain of office.
In Dungarvan the same evening Fine Gael’s Damien Geoghegan, who did top the Old Boro poll, was elected mayor with the help of the Labour Party.
In the City Cllr John Halligan became ‘first citizen’ unopposed, as per the wishes of the people.
Fine Gael, with 11 seats, just one short of an overall majority, would only need Cllr Conway’s support to hold sway on the County Council.
However, after Monday’s “smash and grab raid for positions”, the only non-party candidate elected expects them to join forces with the four Labour members at this afternoon’s annual meeting in Dungarvan.
He said this week’s events make him even more determined to represent the people who elected him, not party politics.
