How are your local reps

martinn123

LeoB wrote: »

So who is doing Cllr O'Leary's work? Or have we one Cllr less that we thought representing us?

He probably got a Personal Assistant

Cardinal Richelieu

Nice little earner from the tax payer combining Personal Assistant with Councillor role.

2011 Figures(Source)
Thomas O’Leary
Personal Assistant
€954.20 per week ( €49618.40 a year)

2012 Fingal CoCo
Tom O'Leary
Representative Payments €16,723.92
Yearly Allowance €3,846.11(substantial lower than others, is this allowance based on council attendance?)

martinn123

Cardinal Richelieu wrote: »

Nice little earner from the tax payer combining Personal Assistant with Councillor role.

2011 Figures(Source)
Thomas O’Leary
Personal Assistant
€954.20 per week ( €49618.40 a year)

2012 Fingal CoCo
Tom O'Leary
Representative Payments €16,723.92
Yearly Allowance €3,846.11(substantial lower than others, is this allowance based on council attendance?)

And of course the Position was advertised nationally, with an open and transparent recruitment process, as per the F/G manifesto.:D

CorsendonkX

LeoB you might have to give up the day job to have the time to visit all the councilors covering the Rush area after the next election.:D With the new boundary changes, FCC increases from 24 seating councilors to 40 after the next election. Balbriggan boundaries remain unchanged but the number of representatives on FCC increase.

• Balbriggan 8 seats(presently 5 seats and Balbriggan Town Council)
• Castleknock 7 seats (4 at present)
• Howth-Malahide 8 seats(5)
• Mulhuddart 8 seats(5)
• Swords 9 seats(5)

Waterside in Swords moves to Malahide Ward

Of all the local authorities whose boundaries were reviewed, most submissions were received in respect of Fingal. These largely related to one area in particular. Some 58 submissions were received by the deadline date recommending that the Waterside estate, which is on the eastern side of the M1 motorway, be moved from the Swords local electoral area into the same local electoral area as Malahide. The Committee saw merit in the change proposed, having regard to the community coherence of the area. The Committee is recommending that the boundaries be altered in this way, but that the current local electoral areas of Swords and Howth-Malahide would be otherwise unchanged.

Rest of the report here P51-P54

expectationlost

3 more councillors in my area what the hell are they going to do, they have very little power to do anything as it is, trying to find substantial work from them to do in Hogans changes... http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/1016/puttingpeoplefirst.pdf

The Hill Billy

40?! Never mind that this will make clear decision-making all the more lengthy & onerous - 40 councillors trying to get their tuppence-worth in instead of 24 - but where is the money coming from to pay for them? An overly simplistic argument admittedly, but one that the hard-pressed citizens of Fingal will be thinking of.

Do the Electoral Commission really think that this will benefit they area? If so, I'd love to know the rationale behind the change.

CorsendonkX

The Hill Billy wrote: »

40?! Never mind that this will make clear decision-making all the more lengthy & onerous - 40 councillors trying to get their tuppence-worth in instead of 24 - but where is the money coming from to pay for them?

250k saving from getting rid of Balbriggan Town Council, then 80% of your Property Tax according to Phil Hogan should go to the Local Council.

The Hill Billy wrote: »

Do the Electoral Commission really think that this will benefit they area? If so, I'd love to know the rationale behind the change.

Did you read the link fully? They had no choice.

Boundary Commission

terms of reference

Subject to a minimum total of 18 and a maximum total of 40 members of every other
council-
there should be one member for every 4,830 population in each council area;

I agree it's a waste of money because at the end of the day Irish people rather go to the local TD's with issues that the local councilors should deal with. We have no concept of a set procedure when it comes to lobbying local government and TD's are more than happy to muddy the waters if they feel they can get votes at the next GE.

LeoB

CorsendonkX wrote: »

250k saving from getting rid of Balbriggan Town Council, then 80% of your Property Tax according to Phil Hogan should go to the Local Council.

What if the percentage who pay in Fingal is low? Where then will the money come from? I would have little or no faith in Big Phil to deliver much.

Agree with THB we will want to extend the meetings by a few hours on any contentious issue again they all get to waffle.

CorsendonkX wrote: »

I agree it's a waste of money because at the end of the day Irish people rather go to the local TD's with issues that the local councilors should deal with. We have no concept of a set procedure when it comes to lobbying local government and TD's are more than happy to muddy the waters if they feel they can get votes at the next GE.

Agree with you here. I see more people going to T.Ds clinics than Cllr clinics. Part of the reason we have no set procedure is that in the past people could "lobby" and "donate" to parties. I cant understand why so few people go to clinics on local issues and perhaps T.Ds should be stopped dealing with potholes and the likes.

Having walked from the train station into Rush recently I will be emailing all the cllrs about the state of the path which in places is less than 18inchs and for people to pass they have to step onto the road which is very busy. A pram would have to off the path in a few places. If the weeds were trimmed back and path cleaned the path would be much safer.

Will let you know how I get on.

CorsendonkX

LeoB wrote: »

Having walked from the train station into Rush recently I will be emailing all the cllrs about the state of the path which in places is less than 18inchs and for people to pass they have to step onto the road which is very busy. A pram would have to off the path in a few places. If the weeds were trimmed back and path cleaned the path would be much safer.

Will let you know how I get on.

Careful now, if your going around measuring paths in your spare time.....:D

What's the footfall on that path? How many people with prams walk to and from the station every day? I walked the route myself recently enough and found the path to be a great improvement on what it use to be 10 years ago.
Fairly wide from the station to the turn off for the Spout Road anyway.

LeoB

CorsendonkX wrote: »

Careful now, if your going around measuring paths in your spare time.....:D

Waiting on my new camera I got a little bored.........shhhhhh

CorsendonkX wrote: »

What's the footfall on that path? How many people with prams walk to and from the station every day? I walked the route myself recently enough and found the path to be a great improvement on what it use to be 10 years ago.
Fairly wide from the station to the turn off for the Spout Road anyway.

I would not think many would walk that way with a pram/buggy but I regularly pass a few.
The path is a massive improvment on what it was and my point is going to the trouble to have it rebuilt and then leave it to become near impassable on top of Whitestown hill, just beyond the telephone exchange and at the bottom of the hill near the memorial plaque with weeds growing from the ditch out. Surely Fingal can manage to keep it clear. Like some of the roads around north Dublin where a more aggressive approach to cleaning the sides of the roads and paths would widen some roads by more than 1 or 2 feet in some areas. Look at the park Rd which gets a bit narrower each winter with mud just building along the side of the road. Maybe they will let a few lads out with strimmers or get the tractor out and cut the sides back a bit.

CorsendonkX

LeoB wrote: »

Waiting on my new camera I got a little bored.........shhhhhh



I would not think many would walk that way with a pram/buggy but I regularly pass a few.
The path is a massive improvment on what it was and my point is going to the trouble to have it rebuilt and then leave it to become near impassable on top of Whitestown hill, just beyond the telephone exchange and at the bottom of the hill near the memorial plaque with weeds growing from the ditch out. Surely Fingal can manage to keep it clear. Like some of the roads around north Dublin where a more aggressive approach to cleaning the sides of the roads and paths would widen some roads by more than 1 or 2 feet in some areas. Look at the park Rd which gets a bit narrower each winter with mud just building along the side of the road. Maybe they will let a few lads out with strimmers or get the tractor out and cut the sides back a bit.

So Alan hasn't sorted your footpath out yet up to the Park?

Nice to see him speaking in the North County Leader about reduced Crime rates in Swords and Malahide.

http://northcountyleader.ie/index.php/component/content/article/34-front-page/5870-welcome-reduction-in-crime-rate.html

No mention of crime rates above the Swords Border.:rolleyes:

CorsendonkX

LeoB wrote: »

So who is doing Cllr O'Leary's work? Or have we one Cllr less that we thought representing us?

Very busy man these days is Cllr O'Leary, suddenly the local newspapers have a story from him every week since it was pointed out how many council meetings he has missed whilst working in his new role for JR. Everything from causing council meetings to be suspended until he got an answer on Library cuts to proposing that Rush MillBank Mill be fully restored like Skerries Mills. Apparently no one else had this "novel" idea, obviously he never spoke to too many residents of Rush over the years then otherwise he will know that this has been mooted several times in the past even before Skerries Mills were restored.

http://northcountyleader.ie/index.php/component/content/article/34-front-page/5854-call-for-restoration-of-rush-windmill.html

The one strange connection in his recent media blitz is that most of the stories seem concerned with Rush, has he done sums in recent weeks and found out he needs votes from Rush in order to secure his seat in the next local election?

LeoB

CorsendonkX wrote: »

So Alan hasn't sorted your footpath out yet up to the Park?

Nice to see him speaking in the North County Leader about reduced Crime rates in Swords and Malahide.

http://northcountyleader.ie/index.php/component/content/article/34-front-page/5870-welcome-reduction-in-crime-rate.html

No mention of crime rates above the Swords Border.:rolleyes:

I have a pain in the but end of ****s looking for something done along here. To borrow a phrase "I wont go away"

I wonder how many crimes are going unreported? such is the apathy of people towards services in NCD. There is nothing unusual in politicians avoiding Rush:mad:

CorsendonkX wrote: »

Very busy man these days is Cllr O'Leary, suddenly the local newspapers have a story from him every week since it was pointed out how many council meetings he has missed whilst working in his new role for JR. Everything from causing council meetings to be suspended until he got an answer on Library cuts to proposing that Rush MillBank Mill be fully restored like Skerries Mills. Apparently no one else had this "novel" idea, obviously he never spoke to too many residents of Rush over the years then otherwise he will know that this has been mooted several times in the past even before Skerries Mills were restored.

http://northcountyleader.ie/index.php/component/content/article/34-front-page/5854-call-for-restoration-of-rush-windmill.html

The one strange connection in his recent media blitz is that most of the stories seem concerned with Rush, has he done sums in recent weeks and found out he needs votes from Rush in order to secure his seat in the next local election?

You may have a point with him looking to secure local votes. I dont know the man at all so dont really know how he operates. There was in the past a good FG branch in Rush

expectationlost

Cardinal Richelieu wrote: »

The Fingal Indo two weeks ago had a whole breakdown of possible local election candidates. Only read it today but SF have announced they will have a candidate in each Ward for 2014 LE. I will post up the list of potential candidates The Fingal mentions when I get a chance.

*cough* many more women? there's a candidate quota now isn't there

Alan Farrell

CorsendonkX wrote: »

So Alan hasn't sorted your footpath out yet up to the Park?

Nice to see him speaking in the North County Leader about reduced Crime rates in Swords and Malahide.

http://northcountyleader.ie/index.php/component/content/article/34-front-page/5870-welcome-reduction-in-crime-rate.html


No mention of crime rates above the Swords Border.

As a matter of fact, the Joint Policing Committee, of which I am a member and to whom the report was issued, also issued a report on a reduction of crime in the same period in 2012 "above Swords". While my press release, which prompted the NCL story, was specific to Swords & Malahide the burglary rate was actually down by 40% in the north county, which is even better than the 30% in Swords & Malahide.

On Leo's Famous Footpath to St. Maurs. I'd love to provide the funding for it but if it wasn't built in the boom, its not going to be built now. I'd rather spend the money on repairing Main Street which poses a far greater risk to the general populous, if funding was available and a choice had to be made.

On the matter of the role of Councillors and TD's; clearly if money was allocated by Government, it would be for the Councillors to decide how to best spend the money, thus, this would be outside my control.

Alan Farrell

LeoB wrote: »

Agree with you here. I see more people going to T.Ds clinics than Cllr clinics. Part of the reason we have no set procedure is that in the past people could "lobby" and "donate" to parties. I cant understand why so few people go to clinics on local issues and perhaps T.Ds should be stopped dealing with potholes and the likes.

If you'll pardon the cliché, at the end of the day, who should set such procedures? PRSTV is wonderfully democratic yet has very defined consequences, like clientism. We Irish love it, can't get enough of it, voted twice to keep it...

While some in my profession would like to do away with it, we equally want to help Mr & Mrs Bloggs as we all know it could potentially be in our interest to do so.

Ultimately, its up to the individual citizen to decide what they want and from whom.

SeaSide

Alan Farrell wrote: »

If you'll pardon the cliché, at the end of the day, who should set such procedures? PRSTV is wonderfully democratic yet has very defined consequences, like clientism. We Irish love it, can't get enough of it, voted twice to keep it...

While some in my profession would like to do away with it, we equally want to help Mr & Mrs Bloggs as we all know it could potentially be in our interest to do so.

Ultimately, its up to the individual citizen to decide what they want and from whom.

Really don't know about that. I think that you are on the very tip of a very dysfunctional pyramid.

I would prefer that you don't have to concern yourself with a footpath to St Maurs. This should have been part of the proper planning procedure.

I'd prefer not to have to raise an issue like schools with you. Again in a connected public service the school should have come with the houses and not twelve years later.

I would view the 30% of floating voters / undecided as a very large appetite for change which when it's not delivered leads to the party that failed to deliver getting severely punished next time around.

CorsendonkX

Alan Farrell wrote: »

As a matter of fact, the Joint Policing Committee, of which I am a member and to whom the report was issued, also issued a report on a reduction of crime in the same period in 2012 "above Swords". While my press release, which prompted the NCL story, was specific to Swords & Malahide the burglary rate was actually down by 40% in the north county, which is even better than the 30% in Swords & Malahide.

Thanks for your reply, do you have a link to the report that you mention? Does the reduction of 40% only apply to the burglary rate? Or has all crime reduced in North County in the same period?

CorsendonkX

LeoB wrote: »

You may have a point with him looking to secure local votes. I dont know the man at all so dont really know how he operates. There was in the past a good FG branch in Rush

I am sure there is still one.

expectationlost wrote: »

*cough* many more women? there's a candidate quota now isn't there

Ohh I forgot the female quota, perhaps that's the reason for the sudden deluge of Rush based issues, perhaps the local FG branch that LeoB mentions has a female candidate in mind for the LE and the Cllr is building some insurance with Rush FG voters that might gravitate towards a local candidate rather than one from Skerries.

expectationlost

CorsendonkX wrote: »

I am sure there is still one.



Ohh I forgot the female quota, perhaps that's the reason for the sudden deluge of Rush based issues, perhaps the local FG branch that LeoB mentions has a female candidate in mind for the LE and the Cllr is building some insurance with Rush FG voters that might gravitate towards a local candidate rather than one from Skerries.

Im more interested in howth-malahide

checked. theres no local election candidate qouta yet but there is a one for the next general election so they obviously to need get people experience at local level if they are going to put them up for the dail http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2013/0306/world/fine-gael-headhunts-election-prospects-224632.html and for the sake of more women getting into local politics

2009 was a different country but if you look athttp://electionsireland.org/results/local/council.cfm?election=2009L&area=251
in howth-malahide, swords and bablriggan of all the candidates who didn't get in only 1 in each was a woman, they'll have to find new people to put forward, or those women will have to find themselves

CorsendonkX

expectationlost wrote: »

Im more interested in howth-malahide

checked. theres no local election candidate qouta yet but there is a one for the next general election so they obviously to need get people experience at local level if they are going to put them up for the dail http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2013/0306/world/fine-gael-headhunts-election-prospects-224632.html and for the sake of more women getting into local politics

2009 was a different country but if you look athttp://electionsireland.org/results/local/council.cfm?election=2009L&area=251
in howth-malahide, swords and bablriggan of all the candidates who didn't get in only 1 in each was a woman, they'll have to find new people to put forward, or those women will have to find themselves

Yes, your right, I would say every high profile female in NCD has been tapped up by one or two political parties already. Usually you get a hint of who intends to run when you see them pop up in the local newspapers highlighting local issues on a regular basis. Always good to get your name know especially now that many NCD towns have had an influx of new residents to the area in recent years. I can't really say I noticed too many females in the Fingal or North Co Leader raising local issues on a frequent basis as yet. But still a year to go.

Any chance that Heidi Bedell might run for Howth-Malahide? She is no longer a member of the Green Party these days AFAIK, so that would make her more electable and a former Cllr for Malahide in the past.


Possible selection criteria of female candidates in LE(ranked by order of choice)

1. Relative of a former or serving politician
2. School teacher/Principal
3. Community activist(covers everything from Tidy Towns to sports clubs)
4. Local business woman
5. High media profile female resident
6. Parachute a high profile candidate in with the aim of gaining a seat in the GE.
7. Sex change of existing male Cllr

expectationlost

CorsendonkX wrote: »

Yes, your right, I would say every high profile female in NCD has been tapped up by one or two political parties already. Usually you get a hint of who intends to run when you see them pop up in the local newspapers highlighting local issues on a regular basis. Always good to get your name know especially now that many NCD towns have had an influx of new residents to the area in recent years. I can't really say I noticed too many females in the Fingal or North Co Leader raising local issues on a frequent basis as yet. But still a year to go.

Any chance that Heidi Bedell might run for Howth-Malahide? She is no longer a member of the Green Party these days AFAIK, so that would make her more electable and a former Cllr for Malahide in the past.

thought you said the paper had a list of names, I'd it like if somebody from those new estates came forward, somebody who has had to deal with bad planning decisions of the previous councillors, although for me to vote for them they'd still have to be left wing as wouldn't want to encourage a future ff/fg'er. don't think i could vote for green or former green for the same reasons, they turned into the pd greens

only female candidate in HM was Averil Power who was then put into the Seanad to raise her profile for the next general election after she couldn't manage to get elected to council.

LeoB

Alan Farrell wrote: »

If you'll pardon the cliché, at the end of the day, who should set such procedures? PRSTV is wonderfully democratic yet has very defined consequences, like clientism. We Irish love it, can't get enough of it, voted twice to keep it...

While some in my profession would like to do away with it, we equally want to help Mr & Mrs Bloggs as we all know it could potentially be in our interest to do so.

Ultimately, its up to the individual citizen to decide what they want and from whom.

I would much prefer if we saw local cllrs fight for the type of repairs I mentions on here rather than me going to your clinic about the same things. The point I'm making is we elected you and the other T.Ds to do a different job, get our country out of the mess its in.
I have met more T.D.s and senators than I have Cllrs mainly because I have little or no faith in our current elected reps. They have been unable to do much for Rush, some say nothing and yet its quite visibly clear to anyone driving through how bad the roads are and how little has been don viz Hedge trimming cleaning footpaths and drains, basic house keeping. If I went to your clinics with these issues Alan it would in all honesty be an awful waste of your time.

SeaSide wrote: »

Really don't know about that. I think that you are on the very tip of a very dysfunctional pyramid.

I would prefer that you don't have to concern yourself with a footpath to St Maurs. This should have been part of the proper planning procedure.

I'd prefer not to have to raise an issue like schools with you. Again in a connected public service the school should have come with the houses and not twelve years later.

I would view the 30% of floating voters / undecided as a very large appetite for change which when it's not delivered leads to the party that failed to deliver getting severely punished next time around.

My point as Iv tried to set out above re the road to Maurs.
The 30% of floating voters you mention I think will grow with huge sense of apathy around at the moment and this could decimate more than Labour.

CorsendonkX wrote: »

Yes, your right, I would say every high profile female in NCD has been tapped up by one or two political parties already. Usually you get a hint of who intends to run when you see them pop up in the local newspapers highlighting local issues on a regular basis. Always good to get your name know especially now that many NCD towns have had an influx of new residents to the area in recent years. I can't really say I noticed too many females in the Fingal or North Co Leader raising local issues on a frequent basis as yet. But still a year to go.

Any chance that Heidi Bedell might run for Howth-Malahide? She is no longer a member of the Green Party these days AFAIK, so that would make her more electable and a former Cllr for Malahide in the past.


Possible selection criteria of female candidates in LE(ranked by order of choice)

1. Relative of a former or serving politician
2. School teacher/Principal
3. Community activist(covers everything from Tidy Towns to sports clubs)
4. Local business woman
5. High media profile female resident
6. Parachute a high profile candidate in with the aim of gaining a seat in the GE.
7. Sex change of existing male Cllr

I do see a F.G candidate as per the possible criteria you have set out.
On this female quota thing.... I think its bull****. This could lead to a situation where we are actually not electing the best people to do the job, (not that we are now I hasten to add).
If the public deem someone is good enough to be elected they will elect them, male or female.

As for the sec change..... Tom O'Leary could become thelma.....
James Reilly..... The new Ms H
Alan Farrell...... Allison... I am sure contributors on here can come up with some suggestions.

Fogra..
I would also at this time like to pass my condolences to Ken Farrell on the death of his father. Ar deis dé go raibh an anim

expectationlost

http://www.independent.ie/regionals/fingalindependent/news/coyle-calls-time-on-20year-political-career-but-has-no-plans-to-disappear-29301242.html not impressed with councillors quiting a year early to give leg up to replacement if you want to get on council go for election

expectationlost

adrian kavanagh political Geography Lecturer at NUI has doing some research on candidates http://adriankavanaghelections.org/2013/06/14/matching-sitting-councillors-to-new-local-election-constituencies-dublin/ last 3 posts

CorsendonkX

expectationlost wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/regionals/fingalindependent/news/coyle-calls-time-on-20year-political-career-but-has-no-plans-to-disappear-29301242.html not impressed with councillors quiting a year early to give leg up to replacement if you want to get on council go for election

Are we surprised? I agree totally that cllrs should be voted in and not Co-opted, apart from Peter Coyle(LB) as yet unknown replacement:

Co-opted Members of FCC since 2009 LE

• Balbriggan- no change
• Swords- Eugene Coppinger(SP) replaced Clare Daly(SP) dual mandate
• Castleknock- Matthew Waine(SP) replaced Jim Higgins(SP) dual mandate
• Howth-Malahide- Anthony Lavin(FG) replaced Alan Farrell(FG) dual mandate
• Mulhuddart- Mary McCamley(LB) replaced Patrick Nulty(LB) dual mandate

So soon we will have 5 members sitting on FCC that have never faced the Fingal public to secure a seat.

expectationlost

CorsendonkX wrote: »

Are we surprised? I agree totally that cllrs should be voted in and not Co-opted, apart from Peter Coyle(LB) as yet unknown replacement:

http://www.independent.ie/regionals/fingalindependent/news/coyle-calls-time-on-20year-political-career-but-has-no-plans-to-disappear-29301242.html
Speaking to the Fingal Independent about his decision to retire, Mr. Coyle, said he had always intended to step down a year ahead of the next local elections to allow his replacement to be co-opted on the council and establish a record for themselves before facing the electorate.

judy dunne is his selected replacement never heard of her, isn't it your work in the community that establishes your record, not being co-opted?

CorsendonkX

expectationlost wrote: »

judy dunne is his selected replacement never heard of her, isn't it your work in the community that establishes your record, not being co-opted?

From the glowing Local Labour TDs press releases she seems a bright young thing but then again this is graying 60+ year olds so she maybe not so young. There is Judy Dunne who is a Head of the Portmarnock Labour Branch and on the Labour Women's Executive.

expectationlost

CorsendonkX wrote: »

From the glowing Local Labour TDs press releases she seems a bright young thing but then again this is graying 60+ year olds so she maybe not so young. There is Judy Dunne who is a Head of the Portmarnock Labour Branch and on the Labour Women's Executive.

http://www.labour.ie/seankenny/news/13712151085247050.html#.UbsVTeUnc_M.twitter

We need more women involved directly in influencing the policy and decision making progress.

ok get elected then

martinn123

Given the current controversy, and possibility of ''dirty tricks'' allegedly eminating from the Taoiseach, against the Chair, John McGuinness, what role has our own Alan Farrell played in this drama.

Well some questions he asked via his web-site suggest he has been used to ask some questions.

http://alanfarrell.ie/index.php/was-pac-chairmans-e84000-expenses-value-for-money/

http://alanfarrell.ie/index.php/mcguinness-must-clarify-whether-he-signed-off-on-sons-e71k-expenses-bill/

http://alanfarrell.ie/index.php/farrell-calls-on-martin-to-make-statement-as-mcguinness-confirms-complete-lack-of-oversight-on-e250000-office-spend/

According to today's Indo ''Powerful Forces Fail, in bid to oust McGuinness

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/daniel-mcconnell-powerful-forces-fail-in-bid-to-oust-mcguinness-29348188.html

So Alan, are you acting on orders from on high, keeping a check on an opponent, or this months stooge.