Dundalk election candidate slams scale of election postering
Dundalk-Carlingford Independent candidate Ciarán Fisher slams timing and scale of erection of posters
Local Independent candidate for Dundalk-Carlingford in the upcoming local elections, Mr Ciarán Fisher, has criticised the timing and scale of the erection of election posters by some candidates in the area.
In a statement to the Dundalk Democrat, Mr Fisher said that "it was disappointing to see some of the parties jumped the gun in erecting their posters well in advance of the 12-midnight rule on June 8."
"Some posters were already emblazoned on every pole along Avenue Road and McEntee Avenue before daylight had even begun fading on Tuesday 7. It seems very much like a case of one rule for us (Independents) and another for them (the political parties). Maybe they are happy to absorb the possible fines to get up first?"
The local Independent candidate continued, "The scale of the poster blitz from the parties is also dismaying. I remember nodding in agreement when I heard Maeve Yore’s suggestion on the radio, to put a cap on posters for environmental reasons. I'd rather not create more plastic waste.
"It’s truly disappointing that an idea to limit posters was shot down by the big party representatives at local level, when local sentiment is very much in favour of it. Tidy Towns is blue in the face asking for restrictions on the matter. Most of these posters can never be used again because they are very specific, some parties have even gone ahead and printed multiple different posters to target certain areas, or to counter rival candidates in those areas."
"Having dipped my toe into politics now, I’d go further than Cllr Yore and say that a cap or limit is necessary to level the playing field and to stop new voices getting crowded out. I’ve forked out of my own pocket to have a token representation and get my face out there.
"But some of the parties have flung up tens of thousands of euros of posters around the town. Parties can afford this, but if the ruling parties are flashing the cash, taxpayers who feel areas are being neglected must view this as a slap in the face. Parties can spend up to €13,000 euros per candidate! For some parties, in a town like Dundalk, that’s potentially the guts of a €120,000 spend on advertising!
"Not only has a cavalier attitude been shown to the law on when to erect posters, but the ‘where’ of many of these posters is questionable too. Electric poles are out of bounds in many council electorates, as is on or near roundabouts. A bill is passing through the Senate to make it outright illegal.
"The ESB can remove any posters on an electric pole and I’d encourage any local voters out there annoyed by the scale of this littering to report nuisance posters to the ESB and to the Louth County Council Returning Officer for elections. Don’t forget any posters still up seven days after the election merit reporting too.
"Needless to say, I will be supporting Cllr Yore’s proposals to limit the spend and scale of posters. I must commend her green approach in not erecting any! I don’t know how much say the party councillors have on their own campaigns, maybe they are given a script and plan from their party higher-ups, but I hope they will be sharing the sentiment of the electorate that it is an enormous drain on resources, taxpayer money and looks awful."
Mr Fisher added, "as the only candidate for Dundalk-Carlingford that lives and works in Dundalk, I see these posters much more than the others who had teams throw them up remotely, they are a nuisance.
"If people want to see less posters topping poles and a more responsive council, I suggest they make sure independents top the election poles on June 7th!"