A TOTAL of 37 candidates will be vying for one of 22 Council seats in Fermanagh in this month’s local government election, a vote that will likely see plenty of new faces in the chamber come June.
There are four district electoral areas (DEAs) in the Fermanagh side of the Fermanagh and Omagh Council area – Enniskillen DEA, Erne East DEA, Erne North DEA, and Erne West DEA – which each of us will be voting in come May 18th.
With all nominations now in, we know in Enniskillen will be the most competitive DEA, with a total of 11 candidates will be competing for six seats.
In Erne East nine candidates will be battling for six seats, in Erne North nine will be competing for five seats, and in Erne West eight will be competing for five seats.
There nominations have not thrown up any great surprises, with all the main parties putting forward a similar number of candidates as the 2019 elections.
However, with veteran councillors Alex Baird (UUP) and Bernice Swift (Independent) not putting their name forward for re-election, and plenty of new faces on the ballot from both Sinn Fein and the DUP, there will likely be more than few new councillors taking up seats in the new Council.
The candidates in Enniskillen are: Dermot Browne (Sinn Féin); Tommy Maguire (Sinn Féin); Andrew McManus (Sinn Féin); Keith Elliott (DUP) Jill Mahon (DUP); Roy Crawford (UUP); Robert Irvine (UUP); Paul Blake (SDLP); Eddie Roofe (Alliance); Donal O’Cofaigh (Cross-Community Labour Alternative); Donald Crawford (TUV).
In Erne West the following candidates are running: Declan McArdle (Sinn Féin); Elaine Brough (Sinn Féin); Anthony Feely (Sinn Féin); Adam Gannon (SDLP);Aaron Elliott (DUP); Gerard McCusker (Alliance); Paul McGoldrick (Independent); Mark Ovens (UUP).
The candidates in Erne East are: Sheamus Greene (Sinn Féin); Thomas O’Reilly (Sinn Féin); Noeleen Hayes (Sinn Féin); Garbhan McPhillips (SDLP); Paul Robinson (DUP); Victor Warrington (UUP); Richard Bullick (Alliance); Eamon Keenan (Independent); Tina McDermott (Independent).
Finally, in Erne North the candidates are: Paul Stevenson (DUP); David Mahon (DUP); John Feely (Sinn Féin); Debbie Coyle (Sinn Féin); John Coyle (SDLP); Alex Elliott (TUV); John McClaughry (UUP); Diana Armstrong (UUP); Eric Bullick (Alliance).
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