Labour combs city in search for successor to Cameron

Party veteran Billy Cameron, who served three terms on Galway City Council, has conceded he will not be seeking re-election – this has sparked a hunt for someone who might be capable of holding his seat in the City Central ward.

Labour also needs to find a candidate to contest in the City East ward, a former stronghold where voters deserted the party in droves at the last local election.

In 2009, Labour was the dominant force on Galway City Council with five out of the 15 elected members (Billy Cameron, Colette Connolly, Tom Costello, Derek Nolan and Niall McNelis).

At the following local election Labour was almost wiped-out and reduced to just two City Councillors, despite the overall number of elected members increasing by three to 18. Only Cameron and McNelis survived the wrath of the electorate in 2014 when Labour was making unpopular decisions nationally in a coalition government with Fine Gael.

Galway West TD Derek Nolan, who topped the poll in the 2011 general election, Labour’s best, took the seat won and held for years by Michael D Higgins, but he subsequently lost as the tide went out in 2016, when the party suffered its worst ever election result since its foundation in 1912.

Party sources have confirmed that a number of potential candidates capable of filling Cllr Cameron’s boots will be ‘sounded out’ in the coming weeks.

Among the names being mentioned as possible candidates are Ger Bane, a teacher at Galway Community College in Moneenageisha, who is involved with Corrib Rangers; Páraic Breathnach, the director of Galway Arts Centre; and Shane Lennon, volunteer and founder of Manuela Riedo Foundation.

Shantalla-based John McDonagh polled just 4% of the first preferences vote in 2014, when Labour had a three-candidate strategy that backfired and sitting Councillor Collette Connolly lost her seat.

Councillor Connolly subsequently left Labour and was co-opted again onto the City Council when her sister Catherine (also former Labour) vacated her seat after being elected to the Dáil in 2016. Collette won’t be flying the Labour flag next time out, and McDonagh could make a case to be ‘given another go’.

Another possible candidate is Pat Hardiman, a popular taxi man who is well known through is connections in Liam Mellows Hurling Club.

Possible candidates in the East Ward, where the party once held two Council seats, aren’t as plentiful.

Tom Costello retired and did not contest the last time out while Nuala Nolan, who was co-opted to her namesake Derek Nolan’s seat, lost out. One potential candidate who may be approached is Phil Grealish, who is involved with St Columba’s Credit Union and SCULL Enterprises.

Billy Cameron, a postmaster in Newcastle for almost two decades, was first elected in 2004, and became deputy mayor of the city two years later.

He topped the poll and was elected on the first count in 2009 and retained his seat despite the Labour tide going out in 2014.

Efforts to persuade him to remain on and go again have proved fruitless, and party sources fear that unless a high-profile candidate is sourced soon, the likes of Social Democrats member Niall Ó Tuathail, and the Green Party’s Colm Duffy, could get a foothold in the traditionally left of centre City Central Ward, which includes Westside, Shantalla, Bushypark and Newcastle.