PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE Mary Davis has said she intends to continue accepting nominations from city and county councils, despite a declaration by her rival Seán Gallagher that any further council motions in his support should be withdrawn.
Both Independent candidates achieved the requisite level of four council nominations on Monday last, with Ms Davis reaching a total of 10 endorsements from local authorities throughout the State.
However, Mr Gallagher issued an implicit challenge to her approach yesterday when he said he would not stand in the way of other candidates entering the campaign and was asking councillors with motions backing his nomination to withdraw them.
The councils are Waterford City Council and the county councils of Longford, Offaly, Carlow, Roscommon and Donegal.
There was of course no guarantee that the motions would have been passed.
“A council can only nominate one candidate,” Mr Gallagher said in his statement.
Responding later, a statement on behalf of Ms Davis made it clear she would be “very happy” to accept any further council nominations.
“If the councils wish to formally nominate Mary, as has been indicated in their respective motions of intent, then she would be very happy to receive their endorsements as locally elected public representatives.”
Ms Davis and Mr Gallagher spoke to South Dublin County Council last night along with three other aspirants: Joseph Duffy, Garrett Kelly and Richard McSweeney. No vote was taken.
Independent TD Finian McGrath said that non-party TDs and Senators would be meeting Ms Davis and director of the Trócaire charity Justin Kilcullen at Leinster House tomorrow.
He said Dana Rosemary Scallon had also been invited but had not responded as yet.
He said his decision to withdraw support from David Norris had not changed and he did not “see any future” for the Trinity Senator in relation to the presidential election.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said he did not anticipate any difficulty in securing “a sufficient number of people” to nominate a candidate for the presidency.
The party currently has 14 TDs and three Senators but will need a further three Oireachtas members to reach the number required for a nomination.
“The ardchomhairle [executive council] will take the decision as to whether we run or support the nomination of a candidate in the presidential election.”
In an apparent sideswipe at Labour’s nominee Michael D Higgins, he said: “We need someone who won’t just feed us poetry but will actually in a very, very positive way face into the future.”
Asked if he had spoken to Sinn Féin’s Deputy First Minister at Stormont, Martin McGuinness, about running, Mr Adams said: “Martin’s in the States. I know his name has been tossed about there, a number of other names have been tossed about.”
He added: “I would rule myself out.”
Deputy Mary Lou McDonald added: “I have ruled myself out”. Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin yesterday played down the fact that a member of his party on Cork City Council is to act as campaign manager in Cork for Mr Gallagher.
Cllr Kenneth O’Flynn, son of former Cork North Central Fianna Fáil TD Noel O’Flynn and an unsuccessful Fianna Fáil candidate in the recent Senate elections, successfully proposed last Monday night that Cork City Council nominate Mr Gallagher for the presidential election.
“I’ll be taking over Cork North Central – I will be campaign manager for this area and we’re systems go from now on.
“Of course his [Mr Gallagher’s] wife is a Corkwoman so there’s a great connection to the city and county,” Mr O’Flynn told Cork’s 96FM .
Asked about Mr O’Flynn’s declaration of involvement in Mr Gallagher’s campaign, Mr Martin said that was a matter for the councillor himself and said that he was not breaking party rules “at this stage” by his decision.