Carlow County Council declines to back Sheridan’s run for presidency
Presidential hopeful Gareth Sheridan and his wife, Heidi, at the official launch of his campaign in Dublin last month
CARLOW County Council today voted not to nominate Independent candidate Gareth Sheridan to contest the presidential election.
The councillors followed the diktats issued by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil that elected members should back their parties’ nominated candidates of former government minister Heather Humphreys and Jim Gavin, who previously led Dublin to six-in-a-row All-Ireland senior football titles as manager.
In the end, Mr Sheridan received seven votes for and 11 against from the Carlow councillors.
Leaving the special meeting of the council this afternoon (Friday), the entrepreneur said: “I’m no worse off than before I went into the council. I have the weekend to gather myself and go again next week. It’s still all to play for.” In Carlow, the deadline of 5pm on Friday 5 September for submissions by potential candidates to the council was adhered to rigidly. Seven candidates followed the criteria, with numerous others asking to be allowed to address elected members, but these requests were turned down.
As only one of the candidates – Mr Sheridan – had a proposer and seconder, he was in the unique position of being the single person allowed to present to Carlow’s 18 councillors, made up of six Fine Gael, five Fianna Fáil, two Sinn Féin, two Independents, and one each from Labour, Independent Ireland and People Before Profit.
Left-wing parties Social Democrats, Labour and People Before Profit are backing the third confirmed independent candidate: Galway West TD Catherine Connolly, who has worked as a barrister and clinical psychologist. She served as deputy speaker of the Dáil for four years.
At the Carlow meeting, Mr Sheridan thanked councillors for their time as he began his presentation. He explained that he “might just be the youngest ever candidate” hoping to be placed on the ballot paper. He recounted how he was able to build on a “college idea and which was successfully floated on the largest stock exchange in the world”.
The father-of-one admitted that he was “shocked” to see his age group “still living at home” due to housing problems and in a “way they are a lost generation”.
Mr Sheridan noted that the office of president does not have a vast array of power, but it does provide a mechanism as being “a guardian of legislation”. He appealed for the politics of the left and right to hold less importance. Mr Sheridan noted that he did not have any business interests in Ireland.
People Before Profit councillor Adrienne Wallace said the fact that Mr Sheridan rang the bell in the New York Stock Exchange “did not hold any sway, nor did his business” for her.
Sinn Féin councillor Jim Deane asked Mr Sheridan about his views on the politics of the USA and whether he would retain his shares in his business.
Fianna Fáil councillor Andrea Dalton, almost sounding the death knell for Mr Sheridan, wished him well and appealed to him to stay in politics.
As he was the only candidate seeking to have his name on the ballot paper, nearly all of the councillors wanted to lay out their volley of questions primarily centred around his business interests, links to Russia and his age.
Cathaoirleach and Fianna Fáil councillor Ken Murnane commiserated with Mr Sheridan and wished him well for the future.
Michael D Higgins’s time as president of Ireland will come to an end in November.
