Envelope key to Hannigan's successor

AN ENVELOPE held in Meath County Council's offices since the results of the 2004 local elections were known was the focus of widespread speculation this week, following the election of Meath Labour Party councilor Dominic Hannigan as a senator.

Independent councillors Jimmy Cudden and Joe Bonner were adamant that county council standing orders required the successor to Senator Hannigan to be an independent. 

Senator Hannigan was elected to the county council in 2004 in the Slane electoral area as an independent. Later that year, he joined the Labour Party before running for that party in the 2005 Meath by-lection.

He was an unsuccessful candidate for Labour also in the general election in Meath East this summer before his election to the Senate.

Speculation initially has focused on possible Labour Party successors to the new Meath East Labour Senator but it appears that standing orders rules this out.

The council has stated that legislation and the standing orders determined that the "the filling of a casual vacancy to the council is such that the person being nominated to fill the vacancy is nominated by the same registered political party who nominated for election or co-option the person who caused the casual vacancy".

The exception to this is when a situation arose where the person causing the casual vacancy was a non-party candidate at his or her election to the council. In that case, the vacancy should be filled through a mechanism whereby the non-party councillor submitted an envelope containing not more than two names and a clear order of preference, as well as  a signed form of consent from each person nominated. "The person so nominated shall not be a member of any registered political party," the council statement added.

Senator Hannigan confirmed that his election to the Senate meant that he ceased to be a member of Meath County Council. As a result, his seat must be filled by co-option.

He added that he would be "talking to officials within the county council over the coming weeks to discuss the arrangements for the co-option".

He expected that this would be scheduled for the next full council meeting early in September. "I will make a further announcement before then," he said. He said his advice centre would continue to operate and could be contacted at (041) 988 63407.

Colr Cudden, one of four independents on the county council, said that standing orders had been reviewed to ensure that independents enjoyed the same rights as political parties when it came to co-options. Normally, when a councillor who is a member of one of the parties is elected to the Dail or Senate or resigns in mid-term, the party nominates the successor for automatic co-option.

Colr Bonner also said that Senator Hannigan's successor should be an independent.

Council chairman, Colr Nicholas Killian, said it was not a matter for his party, Fianna Fail. He paid tribute to Senator Hannigan for the honourable manner in which he had adhered to his pact with FF since his election in 2004.

Meanwhile, Kilcloon rejoiced last Thursday following his election to the final seat on Seanad Éireann's Agricultural Panel of Eugene Regan, born in the village teacher's residence 55 years ago, John Feeney writes.

The Fine Gael councillor was first elected onto Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown borough council in 2004 and has just completed a term as its cathaoirleach. He is a Senior Counsel specialising in European law and has worked for the Irish Farmers Association in Brussels, where he later served as deputy chef de cabinet for EU Commissioner Peter Sutherland as well as having an extensive career in the international meat industry.

The new senator first qualified as an economist and secured a first class masters degree before succeeding Alan Dukes as the IFA chief economist in Brussels. He subsequently returned home to serve as chief executive with the Irish Meat Exporters Association and studied law.

He joined the Sutherland cabinet in Brussels and was awarded a degree in comparative international law from the University of Brussels during those years. With a German business partner, he developed an international meat exporting agency, Agra Trading Ltd, before returning to Dublin to practice law and stand as a candidate in the last local elections in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. He and his Danish-born wife, Kista, have two daughters. He carried the endorsement of Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, former Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald and Peter Sutherland into the Seanad contest.

He polled 38 first preferences on the Agricultural Panel but early transfers including some from Labour candidates helped keep him in contention until stronger transfers from other Fine Gael colleagues finally brought him comfortably over the 89,334 quota on the 26th and final count.