By Sabrina Sweeney
WHEN Denis McGee took to the stage in the Laurels Ballroom in the Highlands Hotel in Glenties at midnight, officially elected as a councillor, he was visibly tired.
It had been a long day of tense wondering and hoping.
With an early tally of almost 900 votes, there had been murmurings earlier in the day that he was in a strong position to take a seat.
As news filtered through that McGee’s 100% Redress Party colleague, Ali Farren, had stormed through on the first count in Carndonagh, it appeared the defective blocks controversy was an issue that was going to be a major factor in these local elections
Nonetheless, neither McGee nor anyone in his campaign team were taking anything for granted and realised the key to any success in the Glenties Electoral Area would be in the long game of transfers.
But it was still early days in the Highlands Hotel and after the results of the first count at 3pm confirmed Independents Míchael Choilm MacGiolla Easbuig and Michael McClafferty had reached the quota to take the first two seats, it was a long wait until after 9.30pm when Returning Officer, Paddy ’Doherty, walked on stage to announce that Anthony Molloy had finally reached the quota after the eighth count, to take seat number three out of 6.
In the end, after ten counts, and many, many cups of coffee, McGee received 1,633 votes, polling better than Sinn Féin’s Brian Carr, who was elected on 1,587 along with John Shéamais Ó Fearraigh on 1,727.
Key to the Sinn Féin pair retaining their seats was the elimination of fellow party candidate, Kellie Rodgers, as they received the lion’s share of her transfers, knocking Independent Jonathan Stewart out of the race.
Stewart, from Dungloe was a relative unknown and yet his strong performance on transfers meant he remained hopeful until the 10th and final count and is certainly one to watch.
His final tally was 1,437, just 150 votes behind Carr (SF).
But it is McGee and his 100% Redress party colleagues who are the story of this election and speaking to all those who stayed in the Highlands Hotel to the bitter end, he paid tribute to his wife and children and everyone who helped him during his short campaign.
He admitted it was also a proud day for him, to get elected to Donegal County Council, even though “I didn’t want to be here”.
McGee is now one of four “accidental politicians” in Donegal County Council, joining Farren, Joy Beard and Tomás Seán Devine to strengthen the hand of the 100% Redress Party in Lifford’s council chambers.
“We will look for answers, not just on defective blocks, but on so many issues,” he said.
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