19 TO RUN IN FERMOY AS CHRIS MISSES DEADLINE
The list of candidates for Fermoy Town Council has been cut from 20 to 19 as independent candidate Chris O’Donovan submitted his application to run after the May 16 deadline had passed.
Mr O’Donovan handed his application in last Monday, May 18 only to be told that the local authority had stopped taking applications two days previously.
Speaking to The Avondhu, Mr O’Donovan said that council staff had told him that the deadline passed on May 16, and described the situation as a ‘disaster.’
“I was informed by council staff last Monday, May 11 that the closing date was the following Monday, May 18. Both myself and my club chairman Eddie Hegarty were clearly told this when we first went in that the deadline was the 18th,” the fishing club member said.
“I am dismayed to say the least. I had everything down to a fine art and for this to happen is a disaster. People have been let down and while I shoulder some of the responsibility for getting the deadline wrong, why would I take notice of what the national papers were saying was the deadline when I was told by the council here that the deadline was Monday?
"People say even the dogs in the street knew that the deadline was Saturday, but I was told otherwise and took the word of the council. If I had known the deadline was Saturday I wouldn’t have spent the day before on the river with the consultants doing the weir report, I’d have been putting in my nomination,” he added.
In total there are 19 confirmed candidates registered for the Fermoy Town Council elections, down from 21 candidates in 2004. The candidates are made up of eight independents, four Fianna Fail, three Fine Gael, two Labour, one Sinn Fein and one Green candidate.
They are as follows; Bowes, Pat (Independent); Carey, Tim (Independent); Coleman, Seamus (Sinn Fein); Corcoran, Olive (Fianna Fail); Dolan-Moore, Colette (Fianna Fail); Douglas, Adam (Green Party); Hanley, Michael (Independent); Hartnett, Michael (Fianna Fail); Hughes, William (Independent); Hutton, John (Independent); McCarthy, Noel (Labour); McLaughlin, Liam (Fianna Fail); Merrigan, Peter (Independent); Murphy, John (Independent); O’Brien, Pat (Fine Gael); O’Donovan, Tadhg (Labour); O’Driscoll, Patrick (Fine Gael); Power, Brian (Independent); Pyne, Aileen (Fine Gael).
Published:
Thursday 21st May 7:56pm