Women power dominates in Newport
A new face for the Newport area on Tipperary County Council will be Pamela Quirke O' Meara of the Lowry Team who performed superbly in the Local Elections in an electoral area now dominated by female councillors.
Labour's Fiona Bonfield’s consistent hard work paid off as she topped the poll for the second successive time. Ms Bonfield, who first contested in 2014, has won a seat in all three elections since then.
Phyll Bugler of Fine Gael also displayed the regard voters have for her, she too regaining her seat and celebrating two decades as a councillor in the area.
Dr Bugler, who has a doctorate in chemistry, was first elected to North Tipperary County Council in 2004. She regained her Fine Gael seat in the last North Riding election in 2009 and held it again in the two subsequent elections to Tipperary County Council in 2014, 2019 and now again - this time increasing her vote substantially.
ONLY MALE
John Carroll of Fianna Fáil regained his seat and is now the only male councillor in the Newport area. First elected as a county councillor in 1999, he held the seat for the party in every election he has contested over the past quarter of a century and has proven himself an expert in the art of local politics.
Speaking to this newspaper after her election in the count centre in Thurles, a beaming Fiona Bonfield said she was thrilled to be re-elected and to have topped the poll yet again.
Asked about what she attributed her electoral success to, she said: “I work hard and I love the job of local politics. I love seeing communities prosper and working with communities.”
Ms Bonfield said she was thrilled to see three female candidates win four of the seats up for grabs in Newport.
“We formed a women's caucus group during the term of the last council to try to encourage more women to get involved in politics and it's great to see that this seems to have paid off,” she said, referring to the success of her Labour Party colleague Louise Morgan Walsh winning a seat for the first time in Nenagh.
Pamela Quirke O' Meara said she was thrilled to have won a seat in her first attempt, and to have topped the poll. “It was a real shock tht I wasn't expecting,” she said.
“My team and I were received very well by people on the canvass. I was very lucky with the campaign team I had behind me.”
Ms Quirke O' Meara said being a Lowry Team candidate really earned her votes. “It's absolutely fantastic, and it is testament to what goes on in the Lowry Office and how dedicated they are. Having Michael Lowry at the helm really helps it all. He keeps us all on our toes and we know what we have to do.”
She said she was now very excited about being on the council. “I want to re-pay all the people who voted for me and I’m going to work really hard now for them.”
Deputy Michael Lowry said Ms Quirke O' Meara had performed spectacularly for a first outing and paid tribute to the outgoing Lowry Team councillor in the area John 'Rocky' McGrath who, he said, had served the Newport area with distinction as a local representative for a decade.
THE COUNT
NEWPORT
Electorate: 14,247
Spoiled Votes: 54
Valid Poll: 8,110
Seats: 4
Quota: 1,623
Turnout: 57.3%
COUNT 1
Ahern David (Ind): 125
Bonfield Fiona (Lab): 2,346, elected
Bugler Dr Phyll (FG): 1,636, elected
Carroll John (FF): 1,249
O’ Gorman Eddie (II): 594
Quirke O’ Meara Pamela (Ind): 1,665, elected
Ryan Gavin (SF): 495
COUNT 2
Distribution of Fiona Bonfield’s surplus
Ahern David: (62) 187, eliminated
Carroll John: (294) 1,543
O’ Gorman Eddie: (82) 676
Ryan Gavin: (285) 780
COUNT 3
Distribution of David Ahern’s votes
Carroll John: (52) 1,595, elected
O’ Gorman Eddie: (37) 713
Ryan Gavin: (39) 819