Cork town elects five mayors for five years

LIMERICK might have the country’s first directly elected civic mayor, but one West Cork town would argue it’s a decade ahead of the Treaty City.

Last weekend, Clonakilty held its third mayoral election in 10 years, with 1,722 locals turning out to Scoil na mBuachaillí to vote for the town’s voluntary, non-political, community-led mayor.

The five candidates with the highest number of votes will each serve a year in the role.

There were nine candidates on the ballot paper: Yousuf Janab Ali, Brendan Collins, Anna Groniecka, Chris Hinchy, Anthony McDermott, Evie Nevin, Conan O’Donovan, Eileen Sheppard, and James White.

Polls opened in the school at 10am on Saturday and closed at 7pm, and for over seven hours on Sunday, and across seven counts, some 30 volunteers managed the vote and count.

On Sunday, four volunteer counters, Donal O’Donovan, Marian Cadogan, Ger O’Driscoll, and Ted Murphy, under the supervision of Jerome JC O’Sullivan and Tomás Tuipéar of the Dúchas Clonakilty Heritage mayoral sub-committee, worked all day without a break in O’Donovan’s Hotel.

The first count saw Eileen Sheppard receiving 516 first preferences, and Conan O’Donovan 317, with both deemed elected.

Yousuf Janab Ali was next with 241 votes and was elected on the fourth count, followed by James White on 172 who got the fourth seat on the fifth count when he exceeded the quota.

It went down to the wire — and the ninth count — before Anthony McDermott beat Chris Hinchy by 10 votes, with Mr McDermott elected without reaching the quota.

It was around 5.15pm when Jerome JC O’Sullivan formally announced the successful candidates in order of election: Eileen Sheppard, Conan O’Donovan, Yousuf Janab Ali, James White, and Anthony McDermott.

The installation of Ms Sheppard as mayor and Mr O’Donovan as deputy mayor for the next year will take place at a public ceremony at 7pm this evening in Asna Square, to which all are invited.