Another independent joins Navan election race

Another independent candidate has joined the local election race in Navan following a falling out with his party organisation. Navan businessman Francis Deane, who had been selected by Fine Gael to run for the Navan Town Council, this week announced he is running as an independent in the Navan Electoral Area for Meath County Council as well as the town council. While Mr Deane is not commenting on his reasons for leaving the Fine Gael party, it is believed that his failure to be added to the party"s county council ticket was the motivating factor. The Trimgate Street menswear retailer has been a prominent member of the Navan Retailers" Association and is a founder member of the Save the Fair Green Committee, which organised a major protest march against the development of the Fair Green two years ago. He was also a founder member of the Royal County Fashion Show, a charitable event which has over the past 20 years been annually rasing funds for causes such as Our Lady"s Hospital, Navan; Meath Hospice Movement, the Alzheimer"s Daycare Centre and Navan Mental Health. Mr Deane said that, having worked and run his own business in Navan over the past 25 years, he is acutely aware of the difficulties and issues that residents and businesspeople around the town are experiencing. Among the main issues on his platform are the retention of the accident and emergency services in Navan hospital; free parking for Navan town employees in designated areas; free parking for shoppers and visitors on Saturdays; a traffic management plan for the town; proper bus stop and parking facilities; stopping Meath becoming a regional dumping ground, and providing adequate recreation and community facilities and opposing pylons and overground power lines. Mr Deane is married to Fiona and they have three children. He is the latest in a line of former party members to go solo and run independent campaigns, following Adrian O"Donnell and Hugh Gough who have left Fianna Fail, and current Fine Gael councillor Charles Bobbett, who says he will run regardless of whether the party wants him or not. Meanwhile, Fine Gael this week announced that former Progressive Democrat local and general candidate in east Meath, Sirena Campbell, is to run for the party for a Meath County Council seat.