The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil in process of filling Daly and Foley’s council seats
WITH the deadline looming Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil are working to fill the Kerry County Council seats left vacant following the General Election victories of Pa Daly and Norma Foley.
The seats – both in Kerry County Council’s Tralee Electoral Area and the Tralee Municipal District – will be filled by co-opted candidates who are due to take their seats at next Tuesday’ special meeting of Kerry County Council.
The special meeting has been convened to fill Mr Daly and Ms Foley’s council seats as well as positions on various committees that they had filled.
Sinn Féin were due to meet on Tuesday night (after The Kerryman went to press) to select a replacement for Mr Daly.
Party members from the Tralee Electoral Area were to meet at the Kerin’s Rahilly’s clubhouse at 8pm to vote on two nominees.
The names before the delegates were Deirdre Ferris – the daughter of outgoing TD Martin Ferris and sister of former Councillor Toiréasa – from Ardfert, and Padraig Sugrue from Ballyseedy.
While the new Sinn Féin councillor will be known today (Wednesday) the situation with Fianna Fáil is less clear.
The Kerryman has been informed that the names of four potential nominees have, so far, been submitted to party headquarters in Dublin.
While a local convention would normally be held to pick a person to fill the vacant seat it is thought that FF party HQ may intervene and make the decision on who to install in Norma Foley’s seat.
While the names of the nominees have not been officially confirmed The Kerryman understands they include former Tralee Town Councillor Johnnie Wall who unsuccessfully stood for election to Kerry
County Council in 1999, 2014 and 2019.
Some had speculated that the seat could go to Norma Foley’s husband Denis Maguire who has also been mooted as a potential parliamentary assistant for his wife.