Deja vu time as 19 newly elected Laois councillors prepare for AGM
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael likely to again unite for voting dominance
Deja vu will be in the air at the Laois County Council AGM this Friday morning, and not in a good way for the eight councillors who are not part of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
Laois voters are clearly happy with the local councillors they already had, voting to put back 17 of the 19 local representatives into seats.
It means that a likely repeat alliance of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will be agreed, to keep the choicest extra paid positions in their shared camp.
Those roles include the prestigious Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council which adds over €10,000 plus expenses to a councillor's paycheck, and will probably be again swapped over and back between the two parties for each of the next five years. Duties include a paid trip to the New York St Patrick's Day parade, and a plethora of high profile openings and speeches at prominant occasions through the year.
There is one less Fine Gael councillor in Laois for the coming five year term up to 2029, and one more independent.
Thomasina Connell lost out to newcomer non-party candidate Tommy Mulligan in Portlaoise Municipal District, while in the Graiguecullen Portarlington MD, PJ Kelly lost to a fellow FG member, Vivienne Phelan.
It means that Fianna Fáil has six Laois councillors, and Fine Gael have five, an alliance of 11 of the 19 seats.
Cllr Ollie Clooney, a former Fine Gael member, aligned with FF/FG for votes in the past term, and is expected to do so again, making it 12 strong for votes.
Of the other seven seats, including two Sinn Féin and one Labour, six are in a “technical group” to vote together but they are still outnumbered.
Even if the new Cllr Mulligan opts to join the technical grouping, it will still be outnumbered in council votes by 12 to seven.
Cllr James Kelly, independent, put it succinctly to the Leinster Express ahead of a meeting of their group on Tuesday night, June 18.
“A full list of different positions has been sent out to us. The pack will take up much of the plum positions,” he said.
The Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors met on Monday night, June 17 to discuss a possible coalition.