Surprised Holmes storms to top in east Meath area

The lack of community facilities in the east Meath area was highlighted by the new councillors elected in the Slane electoral area at the weekend, with Sirena Campbell, Wayne Harding, Seamus O"Neill and poll-topper and outgoing councillor Eoin Holmes all declaring the lack of such facilities in the growing coastal area were major campaign issues. Labour"s Eoin Holmes, running in his first election after being co-opted to replace Senator Dominic Hannigan on the county council 20 months ago, topped the poll in the Slane electoral area, and was elected on the first count with 2,088 votes, well over the quota of 1,838 in the six-seater. 'I was hopeful of taking a seat,' he said afterwards. 'But I wasn"t expecting to top the poll on the first count.' Cllr Holmes has been critical of the developer-driven situation that has been allowed occur in the east Meath area in the past 15 years or so, and having worked on Senator Hannigan"s campaign and since his appointment to the council, has been working on transport, zoning and planning issues in the area, which he says he is very distressed about. 'As a father of four young children living in the east Meath area, it is quite apparent that the place has been allowed develop without any facilities for young or old,' Cllr Holmes, who, with his wife Niamh Fagan, has just had a new baby boy, said. 'It is true that you can tell a society by how it treats its young and its old, and we have no facilities for any of these.' He paid tribute to his election team and workers for their support, and said he aims to continue working to secure facilities for east Meath. Sirena Campbell, a former Progressive Democrats candidate who joined Fine Gael prior to this election, was elected on the second count, with 1,852 votes, and was joined later on the council by Fine Gael candidate Ann Dillon-Gallagher. Ms Campbell was elected on Sunday morning and, kitted out in her Meath jersey, even had time to go to Croke Park safe in the knowledge that she had made it onto the county council on this attempt. 'I"m shocked, but delighted to have polled so well,' she said. 'There was one stage when I was even ahead of Eoin in the tallies, which was a great honour. But people finally believed the message, that more transparency was needed in planning and development and that there was a lack of community cohesion in east Meath. Fianna Fail had been in control of the council for the past 24 years, and the message was that enough is enough.' Basic issues like footpaths, safe crossings, sports facilities are needed,' she added. 'And the jobs situation needs addressing, particularly since the SR Technics lay-offs. Major IDA activity is needed.' She joined Fine Gael after the demise of the PDs because of a family tradition with the party, she said. Another new face in the Slane area is Wayne Harding from Slane village, who was neck and neck with Fianna Fail party colleague, Pat Boshell, for the Fianna Fail seat. He became chairman of Slane GFC after his playing days were over, and then got involved in Slane Community Forum, and was elected without reaching the quota along with independent Seamus O"Neill, Duleek, and sitting councillor Ann Dillon-Gallagher of Fine Gael. Veteran independent candidate Jimmy Cudden, from Duleek, also retained his seat, having been elected on the 10th count. 'People wanted somebody who would work with the community,' Mr Harding said, adding that he would be working on behalf of Slane village at council level. 'One of my main priorities is to expedite the Slane bypass, and get a HGV ban in place in the village.' He paid tribute to Cllr Pat Boshell for his five years on the council, and said he was sorry to see that Sinead Moore, whom he described as also a very good candidate, hadn"t got elected. Seamus O"Neill, independent candidate in Duleek, said that the people had voted for change in electing him. 'I"m delighted that the people spoke out. I thought I might get 450/500 votes, but to get 907 first preferences was a tribute to the team around me,' Mr O"Neill added. 'I listened to the people of Duleek and the area, and now we have to get the village back on its feet, after its closure for roadworks. The one-stop-shop needs to be opened properly,' he said, in reference to the withdrawal of services from the Duleek county council offices. He added that 'independent is independent", a reference to the fact that his partner, Sharon Keogan, is a member of the Fianna Fail national executive, and that his campaign secretary was long-serving former FF TD Colm Hilliard"s former secretary, Mary Gargan. Two sitting councillors, Tom Kelly, former independent-turned-Green Party candidate, and Fianna Fail"s Pat Boshell, both lost their seats, while former Fianna Fail councillor Hugh Gough, running as an independent this time, was eliminated on the fourth count with 456 votes. Cllr Kelly was eliminated on the fifth count, with 564 votes, and Cllr Boshell on the last count, just 11 votes below Wayne Harding.