Councillors aim to keep Claremorris and Swinford electoral areas poster-free for election

COUNCILLORS from the Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District have made a non-binding pledge not to erect posters for the upcoming local elections.

In doing so, they have become the latest municipal district council in Mayo to agree to such an arrangement after elected councillors in the Westport area made a similar pledge.

Claremorris-based councillor Tom Connolly, who proposed the agreement, said a similar agreement during the 2019 local election had been ‘a huge success’.

His notice of motion regarding the agreement received cross-party support when it was tabled at the monthly meeting of the Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District.

Several councillors cited the positive environmental impact of not erecting posters in the upcoming local elections – which are due to take place in June.

Candidates will still be free to use election posters should they wish as there is no legislation prohibiting their use.

Cllr Michael Burke (Fine Gael), who said he used 12 posters prior to the last election in 2019, said that unelected candidates should not have to honour such a pledge.

“I would quite fairly say that any new candidate that’s not sitting around this table; we cannot tell them what to do and we shouldn’t even attempt to,” said Cllr Burke.

“By all means, as a group of sitting councillors, if we want to make that regulation, I will honour it, 100 percent.”

Cllr Gerry Murray, Cathaoirleach of the Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District, did not oppose Cllr Connolly’s motion but said that election posters created ‘atmosphere’ around elections.

“It’s like having an All-Ireland or a county final with no flags up,” the Sinn Féin councillor remarked.

Independent councillor Richard Finn said that candidates who did use posters in his municipal area at the last local election did not get elected. 

“Hopefully everyone will be successful, and that democracy will prevail in the end,” Cllr Finn added.