We have councillors, now it's up to us

So, with the dust settled on the elections at least locally to Kilcullen, what was it all about and what will be? writes Brian Byrne.

Well, in the Naas area through which we will be represented in the next five years, we now have a mixture of stalwarts and new people in the Council chamber. But all of them in a totally new environment. That has ramifications which weren't necessarily part of the electoral to and fro on the canvass grounds in advance of last Friday's poll.

For a start, instead of a Council of 25 members, the new one will have 40. Quite apart from the fact that this is going to mean a major rejig of seating in the Council chamber at Arus Cill Dara to an 'inner' and 'outer' arrangement (and a whole new meaning to the term 'backbenchers'), discussions on business will become more complex, and will take longer. Whoever has the mayoral chair will need singular skills to keep things on track. And whoever schedules the agenda will also have to be aware of new limitations on what is possible to deal with in a meeting.

'Our' councillors of the Naas Municipal District — the term replaces 'local electoral area' once the new Council is established — will be fighting to make their voices heard from a larger, and louder, chorus. They will also be trying to optimise our District's share of resources, both services and financial, in a new era where the Council is going to have to make much more difficult decisions on its funding above and beyond the share of local property tax which will be the baseline financial underpinning of its activities. Competing claims from Kildare-Newbridge, Maynooth, Leixlip-Celbridge, and Athy will likely be much more compelling than was the case before. And into that bubbling cauldron, there's the seasoning of a political landscape which has changed, not as drastically as this weekend's headlines might suggest, but a fair bit.

Before the election we in Kilcullen and the Naas LEA were given the opportunity to sift through the political and personal attributes of some 16 candidates seeking to have them represent us. We now have the chosen nine by those four in ten of us in Kilcullen who elected to make a decision last Friday.

Whether we like it or not, we in Kilcullen now need to consider our village grown bigger as an extension of Naas. The county town no longer has a separate Town Council, formerly UDC, which insulated itself somewhat from Kildare County Council, and which kept us fairly significantly distanced from that town's needs and decisions. We can no longer expect that buffer, especially now that we are electorally and politically part and parcel of the new Naas Municipal District. And, really, back to where we belong in practical area terms.

When, under the auspices of KCA, we organised the innovative Town Meeting for candidates in advance of the election, most of those who have now been elected turned up. Others sent apologies for acceptable reasons. A handful of the many hundreds of Kilcullen households sent representatives to take part.

I spent most of the past day and a half at the Punchestown Count Centre, covering the proceedings of the Naas LEA for Kilcullen of a democratic electoral process which I believe, whatever its flaws, works as amongst the best of its kind in the world. I met and talked with both elected and unsuccessful candidates, and all of them were positive about our Town Meeting initiative. Some are already on their own record as being ready to do it on a regular basis. Certainly, we have commitments that they will turn up to another one in advance of voting on the Draft Kilcullen Local Area Plan, a meeting which KCA has already decided to arrange.

Because as a community we are now in a much more competitive situation for those services and financial supports which may become available from Kildare County Council, it is in Kilcullen's best interests that we engage with and support all of the new councillors who will be representing us. It is all the more reason why we need to meet with them all regularly on our turf, which is their Kilcullen turf no matter where they reside in the NMD. If we have issues, they need to know that we all believe in letting our representatives know about them.

Bottom line, now we're all in this together. When we organise meetings with those who are looking after our local affairs over the next five years, we need to show that we care about what they do. By turning up when they come to hear us.

The election is over. Now comes the hard part. To make it all work. For us, as part of Naas, in support of Naas, and for Kilcullen. Do make the effort when asked.

Breen, Hillis and Brett elected

Anne Breen of Labour was elected on Count Twelve of the Naas LEA at noon, writes Brian Byrne.

Following her election, Billy Hillis and Fintan Brett of FG were deemed to be elected without reaching the quota.



The count in the area is now completed pro tem. A completion count will be carried out later to distribute Anne Breen's surplus of 218 and Independent Paddy Horan's 807 votes for record purposes.

Shape of Naas LEA now clear

Following the election of Callaghan and Power, the focus is now on the last three seats, writes Brian Byrne.

It's now looking very clear that Anne Breen (centre above) will be next elected for Labour, and the last two seats will be taken by Billy Hillis (left) and Fintan Brett of FG, both currently on 1,047 and 1,027 votes respectively.

That will make the shape of the Naas LEA at three FF, three FG, one Labour, one Independent, and one Sinn Fein.

The votes of Labour's Fergus Carpenter, 759, are now being distributed.

Callaghan, Power, elected

Willie Callaghan and Rob Power have been elected to the Naas LEA of Kildare County Council on the ninth count, writes Brian Byrne.



Their election came on the distribution of FG's Jacinta Scully votes, the main ones of which were divided between Anne Breen of Labour, and Fintan Brett and Billy Hillis of FG.

O'Sullivan eliminated on Count Eight

At the end of Count Eight, Jacinta O'Sullivan of Fine Gael has been excluded and her 694 votes are now being distributed amongst the remaining candidates, writes Brian Byrne.

In the count, Ger Dunne's 575 votes being distributed didn't result in any election. Fellow Labour candidate Anne Breen received 168 of them, and Willie Callaghan of Fianna Fail got 107, and Labour's Fergus Carpenter got 56. Non-transferable votes numbered 101.

It's expected that Billy Hillis of FG should get around half of Jacinta O'Sullivan's distribution. The state of play now is Anne Breen 1,074, Fintan Brett 885, Willie Callaghan 1,304, Fergus Carpenter 721, Billy Hillis 893, Paddy Horan 739, and Rob Power 1,283.

The election homily

In the meantime, as it's a Sunday, I pass on to you this morning a story from Charlie Talbot here at the Punchestown Count Centre, writes Brian Byrne. He said he heard it at Mass during election time, in a homily.

It seems that a local man went for election as an Independent for the first time out, and at the end of a very busy four-week campaign he netted just 17 votes.

A friend asked him had he learned anything from his foray into politics? "I did," he said. "I learned that there are more than 2,000 liars in the town."

Amen.

No election on Count Seven

At the end of Count Seven in the Naas LEA early this morning, there was no further election on the distribution of DDI candidate Martin Byrne's 348 votes, writes Brian Byrne. Independent Paddy Horan received the bulk of Martin Byrne's votes, 164, with 96 of the DDI candidate's votes being non-transferable.

With five seats still to be filled to the 1,315 quota area, the state of play is Labour's Anne Breen on 906 votes, FG's Fintan Brett on 871, FF's Willie Callaghan (1,197), Labour's Fergus Carpenter (665), Labour's Ger Dunne (575), FG's Billy Hillis (872), Indpendent Paddy Horan (706), FG's Jacinta O'Sullivan (661), and Robert Power (1,241).

Those excluded so far are Francis O'Rourke, Cathal Spelman and Martin Byrne. Elected are James Lawless (FF), Sorcha O'Neill (SF), Seamie Moore (Ind) and Darren Scully (FG).

The count has just resumed.

The long wait to Council 2014

At the end of Count Six, with Francis O'Rourke's votes distributed, there was no further candidate elected, writes Brian Byrne. The next lowest candidate's votes — Martin Byrne of DDI — are now being distributed and the proceedings will close until 9.30 tomorrow morning to resume with Count Seven.

It's a waiting game for five more candidates, who include seasoned veterans Billy Hillis (FG) and Willie Callaghan (FF), pictured above with their families.

It's a long haul yet.

Scully elected to fourth seat in Naas LEA

Fine Gael councillor Darren Scully was re-elected to the Naas LEA in Count Five late this evening, writes Brian Byrne.

He gained 13 votes to bring him to 1,321, clearing the 1,315 quota. Just four of the nine councillors to the Naas LEA have now been elected, and Count Six is in progress.

Fourth Count yields no result

The distribution of Seamie Moore's 46 votes (Count Four) resulted in no new election in the Naas LEA poll, writes Brian Byrne.

Almost half of them (22) went to the two Fianna Fail candidates Robert Power and Willie Callaghan, the balance scattered across the card.

Count Five is now in operation.

No election on Naas third count

No candidate was elected following the distribution of Sorcha O'Neill's surplus of 307 votes, writes Brian Byrne.

The biggest recipients of her surplus were Martin Byrne of DDI (59), Independent Paddy Horan (47), Francis O'Rourke (37) and Robert Power (24).

Seamie Moore's 46 votes surplus is now being allocated.

Athy LEA count tomorrow

The Athy LEA count will begin at 9.30am tomorrow, following the very late start to all counts today, writes Brian Byrne.

Ivan Keatley is the Kilcullen interest, as he formerly represented the town when it was in the Athy area. He's pictured with his predecessor and now Kildare South TD Martin Heydon, checking out the national position.

Moore gets third Council seat on Naas LEA

Seamie Moore, Independent, has been elected to the new Kildare County Council with the distribution of James Lawless's surplus, writes Brian Byrne.

Heading into the next count, Anne Breen has 846, Fintan Brett 843, Martin Byrne 241, Willie Callaghan 1,119, Fergus Carpenter 631, Ger Dunne 539, Billy Hillis 839, Paddy Horan 308, Francis O'Rourke 197, Jacinta O'Sullivan 623, Robert Power 1,174, Darren Scully 1,291 and Cathal Spelman 194.

Two elected on the first Naas LEA count

James Lawless of Fianna Fail and Sorcha O'Neill of Sinn Fein have been elected to Kildare County Council on the first count of the Naas Municipal Area, writes Brian Byrne.

Lawless got 2,123 votes, easily winning his seat on a quota of 1,315. O'Neill polled 1,622 votes. Both were first time runners in the area.

Waiting in the wings for the second count are Independent Seamie Moore with 1,307, just failing to make the quota first time around. He's followed by FG's Darren Scully (1,213), FF's Robert Power (958), FF's Willie Callaghan (950), FG's Billy Hillis (822), Labour's Anne Breen (816), FG's Fintan Brett (800), FG's Jacinta O'Sullivan (593), Labour's Fergus Carpenter (526), Labour's Ger Dunne (524), Independent Paddy Horan (297), DDI's Martin Byrne(226), Independent Francis O'Rourke (184) and Independent Cathal Spelman (182).

The second count is under way.

Zzzzzz ...

At nine minutes past the teatime Angelus, still no result from any count at the Centre in Punchestown, writes Brian Byrne. This is the slowest election count I have ever attended, and people are even having picnics on the floor with their kids while waiting. Daft. At best ...

Almost on the way

Right then ... nearly off. Putting the voting papers into the candidates' spaces. Then they count.

(If there's anything happening in Kilcullen, text me!)

Waiting ... waiting

This is promising to be a very long day for all concerned, writes Brian Byrne. The Naas Area count hasn't yet started, now two hours late, and the Athy people will have to wait until that's done.

More when it happens.

Final Naas Area tally

With all the boxes in the Naas Municipal Area tallied, the leading candidate is James Lawless of Fianna Fail with 16.4 percent, followed by Sorcha O'Neill of Sinn Fein (12.5%), Independent Seamie Moore (10.1%), FG's Darren Scully (9.5%), Fianna Fail's Robert Power (7.3%), FF's Willie Callaghan (7.2%) and Labour's Anne Breen (6.2%).

After that it's FG's Fintan Brett (6.0%), FG's Billy Hillis (5.0%), FG Jacinta O'Sullivan (4.6%), Labour's Fergus Carpenter (4.2%), Labour's Ger Dunne (4.1%), Direct Democracy's Martin Byrne (1.8%), Independent Cathal Spellman (1.3%) and Independent Francis O'Rourke (1.3%).

Election count: First indicators

With the tally completed for the Athy Municipal Area, the indications are two Fianna Fail, two Labour, one Fine Gael, and probably a Sinn Fein tussle for the last seat, writes Brian Byrne.

On the predictions, Martin Miley (FF) will head the poll at 17 percent, with Mark Wall (Lab) coming second with 15 percent. Mark Dalton (FF) has 13.4 percent of the tally, while Aoife Breslin (Lab) has 11.9 percent. Ivan Keatley (FG) is expected to gain 11.5 percent.

With six seats in the area, the next placings on the tally are FG's Richard O'Rourke (9%), Sinn Fein's Thomas Redmond (8.2%), Jer Kelly of Sinn Fein (7.9%) and Fine Gael's Richard Daly (5.7%).

The Naas Municipal Area boxes are still being tallied, but early indications are showing Sorcha O'Neill (SF) and Rob Power (FF) doing very well from the Kilcullen area, while James Lawless (FF) is also doing very well in Naas.

The actual Naas count is scheduled to begin at 12 noon, the Athy count won't be done until Naas is completed.

Sorcha comes to town

Sorcha O'Neill of Sinn Fein and friends canvassing in Kilcullen this morning.

That Town Meeting ...

With some 2,500 households in Kilcullen, it might seem a small result that about 50 people turned up to last week's Town Hall Meeting to hear and talk to Naas area election candidates, writes Brian Byrne. And for the nine councillor-hopefuls who turned up, it was a gamble to spend a full night of shrinking canvass time in front of an audience prepared to ask questions ... and in some cases take no quarter.

But it was an enlightening couple of hours for all concerned, and when it was over there was a definite sense that dialogue more than a doorstep conversation had taken place. Those voters who came along had the benefit of comparison which a Town Hall Meeting forum can provide. And the candidates probably learned as much about each other as they did about the issues which exercise Kilcullen people.

Those issues are arguably not any different than in any other community. Jobs, business support, roads and footpaths maintenance, communication with the people on decisions that potentially effect their lives and businesses. Oddly enough, the national matters that are on the loose didn't intrude on the evening, reflecting again the truism that all politics is local.

Since a number of the candidates present — Darren Scully, Anne Breen, and Seamie Moore — are current Naas area councillors, the matter of business stagnation in Naas leaked into the evening. A number among the audience expressed concern that even on the smaller scale of Kilcullen, they weren't optimistic that the relevant candidates had shown an ability to deal with the blight of Main Street closed shops in the town.

"What can you deliver to Kilcullen more than what you have failed to deliver in Naas?" asked Kilcullen resident and Naas shopkeeper Antoinette Buckley, kicking off a sometimes heated exchange between herself and the Naas councillors. Others in the audience also expressed their worries in this regard.

Potentially lethal road design and traffic lights sequencing, which have been issues of long standing in Kilcullen, were also raised. Sabina Reddy made it very plain to the candidates that she had little time for a design situation at Thompsons Cross on which KCC and the NRA seemed not to agree, but the real results are a string of accidents and motorists being hospitalised.

At footpath level, the issue of poorly maintained paths was brought up by Sheedhna, a wheelchair-using resident of the Bridge Camphill Community, who related one incident where the footpath condition tipped her chair out onto the road. There was a collective scorn levelled at the local authority's management of issues like these, and candidates scribbled hurried notes.

One big issue was communication with local people in relation to planning and other decisions which might effect the local community. Orla O'Neill used an example of a planning application facilitated by Kildare planners for a proposed vehicle recycling plant close to a large residential area. "Not one of the councillors of the time forewarned us of this, and it took a lot of effort by ourselves to make that go away," she said.

The Direct Democracy candidate, Martin Byrne, probably picked up points there, as it's the main plank of his political movement that representatives would directly inform constituents of such matters, rather than leaving them to be noticed later.

A question as to whether elected councillors would come back to Kilcullen for a forum again in advance of voting on submissions to the Draft Kilcullen Local Area Plan got a predictable 'yes' from all there. Seamie Moore noted, though, that Kilcullen as a community should decide what it wanted from the Plan and make a submission accordingly, as it's 'very difficult to make a judgement on a whole pile of submissions'.

The evening passed quite quickly, with nobody losing interest. In the final roundup, the candidates were asked to say in a minute why they felt they were right for the job. Billy Hillis noted that he had been a councillor since 1985, losing out only in 2009 when the boundaries were changed, and was the only candidate from the Kilcullen area. "Return the local councillor you had, and I'll look after the town," he concluded.

Darren Scully said it was important to return councillors who are not afraid to stand up to officials. He pointed to a 'strong record' in that sphere, and said he'd got 'into a lot of trouble' with officials on that basis over the years. "If you're elected, you're there to do battle. You're batting on behalf of the people, and that's what I'll continue to do, hopefully for this area."

James Lawless reprised that he's had a lot of experience in working with community groups in his own Sallins area, and is good at getting things like local business organisations up and running, and engaging with public bodies. "I'll keep you informed, I'll engage, I'm up for the job."

Rob Power said he has been knocking on doors since October, and after the election, if elected, he'll still be knocking on those doors to see what's required. "I don't have the experience of being a sitting councilor; in fact I wouldn't like to hold that badge, given some of the decisions that have been made to date. I'm a new voice, I want to bring fresh thinking to Kildare County Council."

Anne Breen noted that she had the time, the commitment and the energy for what is to her a full-time job. "I can safely say that this is a full time job. I've been a councillor for five years. I address every issue and have done over the five years — I hope that you will consider all that when making your decision."

Fergus Carpenter had come to listen, he said, noting that this was something he did well. He added that he's also a good negotiator, and 'not stuck in old ideas'. "I will commit to giving accurate information to the people of Kilcullen, not what I think you want to hear, but what's actually happening. Kilcullen is not just an economy, and your young people need activity with which they can engage after school. Roads and footpaths need to be made safer."

The reason Sorcha O'Neill is running is because 'she's angry'. Angry at the state of the towns, that it has taken so long to come up with initiatives — except now at election time. "My anger will drive me, but I'm also more inclined to the collaborative approach rather than the bull in the china shop. I think you need to negotiate through Council."

Martin Byrne noted that he's the only candidate subject to recall, that people have the right to remove if he doesn't perform as promised. "I don't think anyone else here is going to commit to that, because they all have their careers on the line."

Seamie Moore described his political strength as being a community person with no ambitions to higher level. "I've ran for election four times in Naas and I've never been out of the top three. I have brought Naas Tidy Towns from a very low level of 27 to in the top seven positions. I'm a self-starter. I don't wait around."

Well, they only have to wait around for the rest of this week to see what effect their two hours in direct contact with Kilcullen might have done for them. The count is Saturday, in Punchestown Convention Centre.

Billy Hillis in canvass mode

Billy Hillis took advantage of yesterday's fine weather to complete his canvass of Kilcullen, at Nolans Butchers in the company of Kildare South FG TD Martin Heydon and friends.

Was Town Meeting worthwhile?

So, was it all worthwhile organising a Town Hall Meeting with the candidates in the Naas area for next Friday's local elections, asks Brian Byrne? My considered answer is 'yes'.

Just 50 people turned up to interact with the nine election hopefuls who took the gamble on spending a full evening of shrinking canvass time in Kilcullen. That needs to be placed against the fact that there are around 1,000 households in the Kilcullen town area. Maybe 2,000 votes?

The meeting was promoted and previewed on The Bridge Magazine, the Kilcullen Diary, the Kildare Nationalist and the Leinster Leader. KFM gave it news space through last Monday and on the morning of the event they gave me time to appeal to Kilcullen people to offer the same courtesy to the candidates who had committed to come along. Kilcullen Community Action, hosting the event, had also spread the word by text and posters, and I personally sent a score of texts and more than 40 emails to flag the event to my own local contacts.

I have already put in the Diary space my appreciation for those among the 16 candidates who committed to coming. For the ones who didn't make it on the night but gave notice for very valid reasons, I add my thanks on behalf of the community of Kilcullen.

The concept which Orla O'Neill and I were trying to replicate comes from America, in particular New England for which I have significant personal knowledge. Such Town Meetings are an integral part of the local democratic process. Local elected representatives are required to answer to those who put them where they are. Regularly. We don't have that in Ireland, because Council meetings here don't allow opportunity for the public to comment on or question what's going on. Which is why the public gallery in Kildare County Council is mainly populated by Council officials and issue lobbyists.

In that American context, there's usually a good turnout of ordinary electorate ('real people'), especially in smaller communities similar to Kilcullen. What they have, which we don't, is the right to question as an ongoing process. Not every five years when elections come around again.

So, even if it was just 50 people who came to the Town Meeting, I'm feeling positive about it. A template has been devised and implemented. During the meeting, which was a proactive event from the community, the candidates offered opinions and gave commitments. All on the record, not of a Council meeting but directly to Kilcullen. Among other things, those hoping to be elected all said they would come back to a local forum to discuss the Kilcullen Draft LAP before they voted on it. We will hold them to that. And we will be looking to them to attend other meetings locally through the course of their tenure as guardians of our needs.

I'll be placing a more comprehensive report on the meeting here soon. But what I most want to say now is thanks to all who felt committed enough to their community of Kilcullen to come along last Thursday evening. You're not the so-called 'usual suspects'. You're the belief in our future.

I hope you will be joined in large numbers as our 'New Kilcullen' evolves.

(Note: This post was changed to reflect the number of households in the Kilcullen Town area, rather than the earlier household figure for Kilcullen, Carnalway and Gilltown.)

Town Meeting held interest

Well, in the end it was about 50 people turned out to give questions and hear answers from candidates in the Naas area for next week's elections, writes Brian Byrne.

And nine of the 16 candidates took the gamble that it was worth spending one of their remaining precious nights of canvassing on the stage of the Town Hall Theatre explaining why each of them should be considered for the Council seats to be decided this day week. Those who made it were Billy Hillis and Darren Scully of Fine Gael, James Lawless and Rob Power of Fianna Fail, Anne Breen and Fergus Carpenter of Labour, Sinn Fein's Sorcha O'Neill, Martin Byrne of Direct Democracy and Independant Seamie Moore.

All in all, it seems to have been a good exercise at least for the community, and it was testament to the content of the evening and the deft chairmanship of Maurice O'Mahony that nobody lost interest.

There'll be a full report later.

It's all about communication

There is a unique event in Kilcullen this evening, to which everybody with a stake in the future of the town should go, writes Brian Byrne.

Almost all of the 16 candidates for the nine council seats in the Naas area — to which Kilcullen now belongs — have accepted an invitation to a Town Meeting hosted by KCA.

It is unique, because it is Kilcullen being pro-active about sussing out the plans and personalities of the candidates seeking the positions from where the successful ones will be making decisions on many aspects of Kilcullen life over the next five years.

It is Kilcullen people not waiting to be canvassed for two minutes on our individual doorsteps. It's a very important opportunity, and if we as a community don't grasp it, then we have no business complaining about councillors and Council activities that bear on our lives and businesses for the life of the next Council.

I'll be blunt. I never expected that so many of the candidates would accept the invitation. I thought the party ones would hide behind the 'electoral strategy' gambit and maybe just send the one in their number concentrating on the Kilcullen area. I thought the established councillors amongst them might feel Kilcullen had a nerve in asking them to come before the community. I thought we'd be lucky to have maybe four or five, if for no other reason than requesting them to give up one night of their canvas with just a week to go is a big ask.

So I salute in advance the candidates for making themselves available to Kilcullen tonight. As a group they are extending us a significant courtesy. And I make a plea for Kilcullen as a community to respond to that.

It's a plea to every individual in the town who might read this. Whatever other plans you had for tonight, drop them and come to the Town Hall at 8pm. Show that you also have the courtesy, and the commitment to Kilcullen, to be prepared to spend just a couple of hours in a one-off with the candidates who want you, and me, and the rest of us, to make them decision makers on our behalf.

Kilcullen has a lot going for it. Always had. But no less than any other community we also have issues. Infrastructural development, street-cleaning, roads maintenance. Business support, social and leisure facilities. Community services over which the Council has mandates. Allocation of financial resources which are never enough to satisfy all needs.

We can complain of 'faceless politicians'. Tonight is the chance to see the faces from which we will elect the local politicians who will serve us for the next five years. Tonight is your chance to ask them how they plan to represent the needs of our community in that time. Tonight is the chance to show them that we mean business, and find out what they mean.

Very few communities will have had such a chance as we have tonight. Don't waste it. Please come out and get to know, even a little bit, those who will be our next local representatives. Give them a chance to get to know you too.

Communication is a two-way street. Communication is the Town Hall, 8pm tonight. Be there.

Eleven of 16 local candidates have accepted Town Meeting invite

Jacinta O'Sullivan of Fine Gael and Martin Byrne of Direct Democracy are the latest election candidates to have accepted invitations to attend a special Town Meeting in Kilcullen on Thursday night next, writes Brian Byrne.

The event, which begins at 8pm in the Town Hall, is an opportunity for Kilcullen voters to meet most of their potential councillors directly and to quiz them about their proposed policies and actions in relation to Kilcullen issues.

Earlier acceptances came from James Lawless (FF), Willie Callaghan (FF), Rob Power (FF), Anne Breen (Lab), Fergus Carpenter (Lab), Seamie Moore (Ind), Billy Hillis (FG), Darren Scully (FG) and Sorcha O'Neill (SF). It now means that 11 of the 16 candidates in the Naas Electoral Area are coming to Kilcullen.

The meeting is unique in that the community is being pro-active in getting the candidates in one place to lay out their stalls, so to speak. And the timing, with exactly a week before polling day, means that any issues raised and policies offered will be 'hot' for candidates and electorate alike.

Suggested topics include facilities for children and seniors, upkeep of roads and other essential local infrastructures, water services and related matters, but there's scope to raise anything else of a local nature for which a councillor will have responsibility.

The event is being hosted by Kilcullen Community Action, and will be chaired by Maurice O'Mahony. The organisers have done their bit — now it's up to all voting residents of Kilcullen to show the candidates that they care enough about their community to come out on the night and actively participate in the process.

For sure, it will be a much more effective place to argue the issues and the personalities than can be done on a a short two minutes on the doorstep where neither side wants to delay too long.

Meet the Candidate: Martin Byrne, Direct Democracy

If there's a David tackling multiple Goliaths in the Naas Area local elections, it's Martin Byrne, writes Brian Byrne. His budget is €800, he doesn't have a large party machine behind him. He's a baby in political terms. And he's campaigning while making a living working on IT contracts from his home and minding his daughter half of the week.

The odds are stacked high against him. But you have to admire his guts. And hope that the experience doesn't blunt his idealism. We always need idealists.

Originally from Baltinglass, Martin has travelled. After stints as a barman and gardener in Ireland, he worked in Germany for a while. From there he went to Greece, crossing the former Yugoslavia during the war there. He saw stuff that still upsets him today, especially when the current situation in Ukraine comes on our TV screens. But that's not what he came to talk to me about.

After his travels he went to college, got a place in NCAD and qualified in graphic design. He was employed in that area until 2005, when companies began outsourcing their design work. Now he works for himself across the internet, on freelance IT contracts as far away as Canada. Local politics happened gradually. He did some work for Sinn Fein when he lived in Dublin. Came down to Naas two years ago with his girlfriend. Now, though, he's a single father, sharing the work of rearing their little girl.

He voted Labour in the last general election, but has since become frustrated with the Government ("they've gone back on everything"). He was talking to another candidate, who suggested that councillors shouldn't really give too much of the power back to the people who elected them. They might not make the 'right' decisions'.

"It was the way he said it, made me feel there's this class of people who consider themselves to be the ones who should make the decisions. That it's their own opinions that really matter. That day I decided to see if I could get a nomination from Direct Democracy Ireland."

Martin had come across DDI on the internet. He was impressed by the movement's Ben Gilroy. "He seemed like somebody who was fighting back, standing up for the people with no interest in anything for himself." He got the nomination to run for Kildare at a small meeting in Sallins last September. Since then he's been wearing out shoe leather on the doorsteps. On his own, mostly. "There are a couple of friends involved, but one is ill, the other has a small business to look after. DDI in Dublin handles the online, organises the leaflets and posters."

He has to pay for the campaign materials himself. He could only afford 6,000 leaflets ("so I have to be careful how I distribute them. I was able to put two posters in Kilcullen"). On the doorsteps, if there's somebody at home, he gets about a minute on average. "They don't know about Direct Democracy. On four RTE political programmes recently, we had candidates in the audience, but they got a total of about 40 seconds exposure."

The biggest issue he hears about is water charges. So he brings with him a DDI campaign petition which hopes to raise enough signatures to seek a national referendum on the whole water charges thing. There's also the matter of hardship. "We need a food bank in Naas. I've had three different people knocking on my door looking for food for their children. These were ordinary people, red-faced because they have to ask strangers. People shouldn't be going hungry here in this day and age."

Direct Democracy candidates work on the principle that they don't represent a party with particular policies. "Our policies are what people tell us are the issues that directly affect them locally. Those are what we will represent them on. If I'm elected, my job will be to make sure that people will be kept informed about any decisions coming up which will affect them. I'll take their feedback, and vote in terms of the majority of those who provide that feedback."

Maybe the whole DDI thing seems too loosely based. Ephemeral, even? Idealistic but impractical? After all, people will always push their self interest rather than the common good? Martin Byrne points to Switzerland, where in individual cantons people have been known to vote for higher local taxes because that's the right thing to do, even if personally painful.

DDI is small, set up back in the latter half of 2012. "But we're growing pretty quick. We have 19 candidates, for local authorities and Europe." And who'll vote for him and his fellow candidates? "People who are disaffected by the current system, which is too easily manipulated by the political interests. You don't join DDI to further policies, or for financial gain. We believe we have a system that works for the people, and that is at odds with the main political system."

In the end, it will come down to whether people going about their everyday business and struggles will be interested enough to back something that would require a lot of research, and subsequent direct involvement.

So far, in Martin Byrne's case — and presumably his fellow candidates around the country are facing the same things — the Goliaths have the arena. Where DDI goes in these elections might well hinge on whether there's still enough grá for the underdog. Still, the biblical David did defeat the Philistine enemy, and went on to become King of Israel.

Good response to Town Meeting invite

There has been a strong positive initial response to an invitation to local election candidates to participate in a Town Meeting in Kilcullen next week, writes Brian Byrne.

Confirmations of attendance have come from James Lawless (FF), Willie Callaghan (FF), Rob Power (FF), Anne Breen (Lab), Fergus Carpenter (Lab), Seamie Moore (Ind), Billy Hillis (FG), Darren Scully (FG) and Sorcha O'Neill (SF).

The meeting is an opportunity for local people to find out how each candidate will deal with Kilcullen issues if elected. Scheduled for the evening of Thursday 15 May, the event is organised by Kilcullen Community Action and will be chaired by Maurice O'Mahony.

Candidates invited to pre-election Town Hall Meeting

All candidates in the Naas Local Electoral Area have been invited to a Town Meeting in Kilcullen to explain how they will deal with Kilcullen issues if elected to Kildare County Council, writes Brian Byrne.

The meeting is being held in the Town Hall on Thursday 15 May and is being organised by Kilcullen Community Action. It begins at 8pm.

The event will be chaired by Maurice O'Mahony, and offers a unique opportunity both to members of the community who can raise questions about their concerns and to the would-be councillors who will have a chance to interact directly with Kilcullen a week before the election.

The invitations were sent out at the weekend, so there's no indication yet who amongst the candidates will attend, but we'll keep you informed over the coming nine days.

Election biography: Martin Byrne, Direct Democracy

This material was provided by the candidate.

I decided to join Direct Democracy after witnessing the unending parade of unfair taxes, charges and cut backs by government parties which no longer listen or represent the interests of the people of Ireland. I realized that, if things were going to change, the people had to be able to have a real say in the running of the county.

By giving the people real control of their county councillors through Direct Democracy the people can, bit by bit, take back control of our county and then our country.

Unlike councillors from other political parties, who make all the decisions for you without ever consulting you until the next election comes around, a Direct Democracy councillor would be the only member of a county council who would vote on council proposals based solely on the expressed requirements of the majority of the people of the Naas Municipal area.

As a Direct Democracy councillor it would be my job to notify the people of every future plan the council has that would affect the people of the Naas Municipal area. The people would then have direct access to me as a council member through online forums, telephone or letter, for the full term of my councillorship to propose whatever issue the community think needs to be addressed or what position the direct democracy council member should take on a particular subject. I would adhere to the majority will of the people on every issue, giving the citizen a real voice for the first time ever in the running in our local government.

Direct Democracy councillors are also the only representatives that will adhere to political re-call giving the public the power to remove any Direct Democracy councillor, TD or MEP who fails to live up to their promises.

Facebook.com/MartinByrneDDI. Phone: 0877649902. martin@martinbyrne.co. twitter: Martin ‏@martinbyrne1968

Sixteen nominated for Naas LEA

At the close of nominations today, the following have been nominated to contest the upcoming local elections in the Local Electoral Area of Naas.

Ger Dunne, Monread Heights, Naas (Labour); Anne Breen, The Paddocks, Naas (Labour); Fergus Carpenter, Sallins (Labour); Darren Scully, Kerdiff Park, Naas (Fine Gael); Jacinta O'Sullivan, Craddockstown Road, Naas (Fine Gael); Fintan Brett, Johnstown Gardens, Naas (Fine Gael); Billy Hillis, Brannockstown, (Fine Gael); Seamie Moore, Ashfield Park (Non-Party), Naas; Francis O'Rourke, Eadestown (Non-Party); Martin Byrne, Morell Manor, Naas (Direct Democracy); Sorcha O'Neill, Esmondale, Naas (Sinn Fein); Robert Power, Osprey, Naas (Fianna Fail); Willie Callaghan, Esmondale, Naas (Fianna Fail); James Lawless, Sallins (Fianna Fail); Paddy Horan, Ballymore Eustace (Non-Party); and Cathal Spelman, Mullacash, Naas (Non-Party.

The candidates have until 12 noon on Tuesday 6 May to withdraw their nomination.

(Please note that this story has been corrected to make Martin Byrne a candidate for Direct Democracy rather than Sinn Fein. Apologies for confusion, due to layout issues on official information received.)