EDITORIAL: All to play for as election day looms

Just over a week out from the 2024 elections, this week's edition of The Mayo News carries a 16-page supplement previewing both the local and European elections.

Friday, June 7, is polling day, and it’s incredible to think that a staggering 100 candidates are putting their name forward and asking the people of Mayo to vote for them.

Seventy-three of those candidates are seeking a seat on Mayo County Council for the next five years, while the remaining 27 are in the running for a position representing the Midlands-North-West constituency in the European Parliament.

As we said in last week’s issue, the race for those European seats is a very tight one, and it does seem like a marathon count will be in store at the count centre in the TF Royal Theatre in Castlebar once all the votes have been separated.

But first up will be the County Council count, which will be overseen for the first time by the new Mayo County Registrar, Ann Marie Courell.

The previous Registrar, Fintan Murphy, was extremely adept at conducting a streamlined and efficient count. Ms Courell will no doubt have been garnering useful advice from her predecessor as she gets ready for what will be an extremely busy four or five days in Castlebar.

Our supplement takes an in-depth look at all six Mayo electoral areas, and each one looks to have a very competitive edge to it.

Only two of the sitting county councillors are not seeking re-election. Seamus Weir was elected as a Fine Gael councillor in 1999 and served three terms with the party. He eventually resigned from them due to a dispute over plans for the development of overhead electricity pylons in the Knockmore area.

Weir went on to serve two more terms on the council as an Independent. After 25 years as a public representative, he will no doubt enjoy his retirement.

John Cribbin also served the council for a quarter of a century. His career was praised by politicians across the political spectrum when he announced he would not be seeking reelection. He proudly represented the Ballyhaunis area with distinction during that period, and the Fine Gael man was Cathaoirleach of the council during 2009 and 2010.

Litmus test

It would be a huge shock if all 28 sitting councillors were to retain their seats. The local election will be a proper litmus test of whether the public is indeed in the mood for change.

Sinn Féin have assembled what looks to be a very strong team for this local election in Mayo, and it will be hugely interesting to see if the Mayo public feels the time has arrived to give the party a chance to deliver.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have always had a huge traditional following in Mayo, but we have seen in the recent past that Independents can attract big support in the county too, and the likes of Michael Kilcoyne and Mark Duffy are fancied to top the poll in their electoral areas.

Fianna Fáil and the Independents have held the sway of power on Mayo County Council for the last five years, but if Sinn Féin do manage to elect four or five candidates, they could then have to broker a deal with either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael, and perhaps some of the Independents, to decide who will fill the role of Cathaoirleach over the five-year term of the next council.

It really is all to play for, and all 73 candidates will be out pressing the flesh in earnest over the next week in an effort to convince the Mayo electorate that they are the ones best placed to help run the county’s affairs over the next five years and most deserving of voters’ trust.