Local Elections 2014: What issues will you be raising with candidates on the door?

LEIN

With local elections (and European elections) taking place on May 23rd, what question will you ask canvassers when they come calling?

What are the issues you care most about on a local level? Any dealbreakers that would turn you on/off a candidate if they aren't on the same line of thinking as you?

Caveat: this thread is for questions only. At a later stage Boards will try to arrange responses from local politicians.

Fiachra2

Hmmmmm......Now what will I be asking them about?

pixbyjohn

As I am a good listener I will ask them " what can you do for me?" .

legrand

pixbyjohn wrote: »

As I am a good listener I will ask them " what can you do for me?" .

PbJ - are you expecting FF canididates to call? :pac: Sure they will offer loads (lets not be worrying about those fellas up there in the big shmoke we'll do things our way locally right? )

pixbyjohn

The FF candidate James Doyle has already called to my house.

pepepe32

well thank god I have cctv watching my door it comes in very handy when the elections come up I wont be answering the door to any of them liars

micandre

They may not want to call...

North Beach Access
The path to the north beach has now completely collapsed from Rathdown Road. When is the council going to fix this.

https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Wicklow/@53.1581266,-6.0738099,17z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x4867b0b5d9502859:0x284e79fbf541a3e7

Pot Holes in Roads
The roads on my estate have pot holes all over. Once a year a gang from the council throw down some poor quality tar which washes off when the rain comes. When are they going to professionally fix roads?

Dog Litter
A 20 minute walk to Greystones has a least 10 deposits that my buggy and 2 child often fail to avoid. What is the candidate going to do?

McDonalds
Although planning permission was refused, for incumbent candidates why did they vote to approve to have a McDonalds next to 2 national schools?

Annasopra

micandre wrote: »

They may not want to call...

North Beach Access
The path to the north beach has now completely collapsed from Rathdown Road. When is the council going to fix this.

https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Wicklow/@53.1581266,-6.0738099,17z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x4867b0b5d9502859:0x284e79fbf541a3e7

Pot Holes in Roads
The roads on my estate have pot holes all over. Once a year a gang from the council throw down some poor quality tar which washes off when the rain comes. When are they going to professionally fix roads?

Dog Litter
A 20 minute walk to Greystones has a least 10 deposits that my buggy and 2 child often fail to avoid. What is the candidate going to do?

McDonalds
Although planning permission was refused, for incumbent candidates why did they vote to approve to have a McDonalds next to 2 national schools?

On McDonalds Councillors do not vote on planning permission applications.

zoobizoo

Joeytheparrot wrote: »

I think that because this is not a Greystones issue it was moved to the Wicklow forum.

aha - I'll delete that so.. thanks

LEIN

It was moved to Wicklow.

Honestly!

Pathetic that moderators won't allow threads on politics on the Greystones forum when most "contentious" issues raised on the forum have roots in the actions/inactions of politicians!

The Hill Billy

PM the mods if you have an issue.

gibbon6

Derek Mitchell called to the door in his trusty wellies seeking my vote. I asked him why he did not support the community plan on the harbour and gave false information on it such as claiming that it would cost over 13 million euros. He mumbled words to the effect that I must be in the give us back our harbour group. He had no interest in explaining himself to me a constituent and a voter. He gave no reasons why he did not support the community plan.

Maudi

Ugh..id be powerhosing my driveway to get rid of that stink.

legrand

Like most people I hate the sight of all these election posters.

But where are the Tom Fortune posters (one of the very few to publicly support the community plan with regards to Harbour)?

He is running..correct?

Annasopra

legrand wrote: »

Like most people I hate the sight of all these election posters.

But where are the Tom Fortune posters (one of the very few to publicly support the community plan with regards to Harbour)?

He is running..correct?

There are a few around at lidl; windgates, tesco

He's not the only to publicly support the community plan. Jennifer Whitmore was involved in drawing it up. Ian McGahon and Nicola Lawless and Jacqui Johnson have publicly stated their support too.

Charlie-Bravo

Tom called to my door, said hello, I took his card. He asked for my vote, I said I'll consider it. Not the worst of them...:) As a candidate, his budget for posters would be minuscule. I believe he deserves some recognition.

I saw some posters around for an Eirigi candidate, I'm not overly familiar with the party and then I saw this shared facebook today abou watermeter sabotage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PTIV2GNF-g - Even with things going as they are with regards local water issues, I just see this as complete madness.

zoobizoo

astrofluff wrote: »

I saw some posters around for an Eirigi candidate, I'm not overly familiar with the party and then I saw this shared facebook today abou watermeter sabotage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PTIV2GNF-g - Even with things going as they are with regards local water issues, I just see this as complete madness.

Encouraging vandalism isn't on. We all pay in the end.

Can't imagine many following their example to damage property.

gibbon6

I ask them where do they stand on the community plan for the harbour.

DazMarz

I believe that the candidate you're talking about running for Eirigi would be Sean Doyle. Sean's running the the Wicklow LEA, not Greystones. I don't think Eirigi are running a candidate in the Greystones LEA, but I'm open for correction.

It's just that some areas that would technically be in Greystones LEA border extremely closely with the Wicklow LEA (see the Eden Gate road, areas of Kilpedder/Willow Grove, Kilquade, Killadreenan, Newcastle, etc.) and some Wicklow LEA candidates have their posters there for commuters and others who pass through the area, but live in the Wicklow LEA. And vice-versa.

Annasopra

DazMarz wrote: »

I believe that the candidate you're talking about running for Eirigi would be Sean Doyle. Sean's running the the Wicklow LEA, not Greystones. I don't think Eirigi are running a candidate in the Greystones LEA, but I'm open for correction.

It's just that some areas that would technically be in Greystones LEA border extremely closely with the Wicklow LEA (see the Eden Gate road, areas of Kilpedder/Willow Grove, Kilquade, Killadreenan, Newcastle, etc.) and some Wicklow LEA candidates have their posters there for commuters and others who pass through the area, but live in the Wicklow LEA. And vice-versa.

Some of Seans posters are hanging up in Greystones.

DazMarz

Joeytheparrot wrote: »

Some of Seans posters are hanging up in Greystones.

Really? That's a bit strange. Unless he's standing in both areas?

Jimmy O'Shaughnessy is doing that; he's standing in the Wicklow LEA and the Arklow LEA this time out, as with the re-drawn boundaries his core support areas were split between the two LEA's.

Annasopra

DazMarz wrote: »

Really? That's a bit strange. Unless he's standing in both areas?

Jimmy O'Shaughnessy is doing that; he's standing in the Wicklow LEA and the Arklow LEA this time out, as with the re-drawn boundaries his core support areas were split between the two LEA's.

No he isnt running both. A lot of his supporters are in Greystones but it makes sense in a way - people living in Wicklow lea often travel into Greystones lea

DazMarz

Joeytheparrot wrote: »

No he isnt running both. A lot of his supporters are in Greystones but it makes sense in a way - people living in Wicklow lea often travel into Greystones lea

It does make sense. The cross-"pollination" between the LEA's is astounding. And people have relatives/friends in other LEA's and all that. It all helps.

I know that Charlie Keddy has his name on the ballot in all five LEA's... :eek:

Eponymous

The Labour canvassers are doing their candidates no favours anyway. Despite a sign above the letterbox and my wife standing at the closed door while hanging up a coat and saying "no thank you", he proceeded to shove a flyer through our letterbox anyway. To cap it off, he then kicked through the bush separating ours and our neighbours' driveway to gain access to next door.

I followed him out, shoved the flyer back into his hand and advised him against ignoring the wishes of the electorate.

What pi$$es me off most is that I'm a traditional Labour voter, but this display of sheer ignorance has me fuming and they'll be well done my order of preference now, if they get one at all.

To me, shoving flyers into letterboxes instead of actually knocking on doors means that they don't want dialogue. They've put together some words on paper, but don't want to elaborate on those words or perhaps hear a different viewpoint. Nor do they want to hear what issues we might have that aren't the harbour or the spine road or water charges. If you don't want to speak to us, don't expect to speak for us.

eleMental

I have a No Flyers Please sign on my door and have at this stage received flyers / materials through the letterbox for virtually every candidate running - it seems all of the door-to-door campaigners are not really interested in respecting their electorate's wishes.

on a separate note (and mildly off-topic, sorry) - my neighbor mentioned yesterday that the Labour candidate who called to her door (in the Grove) mentioned a petition that had been created proposing that the last part of the Grove be turned into a cul-de-sac with access to Púroga crèche moved to the road at the SuperValu carpark instead (thus moving the morning/evening speeding parents off a road with kids playing on it!) . she said she'd been contacted about the petition and wanted to get a copy of it. does anyone know anything about where I or she could find out more about this (please PM me if youd prefer). thank you!

Don Osborne Fargo

gibbon6 wrote: »

I ask them where do they stand on the community plan for the harbour.

I agree with gibbon6. If I meet any, I will be telling them I think the harbour is the single biggest local issue for the area. It should have been finished in April 2012, FFS! Two years after the completion date we still face a wasteland.

I will be asking them if they have signed up to the GUBOH pledge on implementing the Community Plan. If they haven't, I will tell them no votes for you, not even a last preference.

If they have, they will get a vote. But I'll be putting all the independents tops, with the parties at the bottom of my list.

Then I'll be taking GUBOH's advice and voting for no other candidates.

Don Osborne Fargo

<<<snip>>>

Mod: I'm sorry but you can't come in here to sway the publics preference on who to vote for. That's not the idea of this thread.

gibbon6

<<<snip>>>

Mod: As above.

LEIN

Folks, just a reminder to read the Op before posting. Some are completely missing the point here.

Have a nice day.

gibbon6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuAlksupTgg

I now ask them if they are looking for my vote or just introducing themselves to me!