Offaly TDs declare Áras backing for Jim Gavin and Maria Steen

Offaly's three TDs have announced their support for three different candidates in the presidential election, which will take place next month.

This week, local Independent TD Carol Nolan said she would be backing barrister and referendum campaigner Maria Steen for the Áras, while local Fianna Fáil TD Tony McCormack told the Offaly Independent he wants Jim Gavin to succeed outgoing president Michael D Higgins.

Gavin, the former Dublin senior football manager, is competing with MEP Billy Kelleher for the Fianna Fáil nomination to contest the election on Friday, October 24.

Deputy McCormack met with both Gavin and Billy Kelleher on Wednesday and, following those meetings, he is backing the Dubliner to be his party's candidate.

"The two candidates are more than capable of being elected as the next President of Ireland, but after meeting with both I am honoured to give my support to Jim Gavin," he said.

Deputy McCormack described Gavin as a "proven leader" who has "consistently delivered" for this country.

"In his role as Chief Operations Officer with the Irish Aviation Authority he showed great leadership, operating with responsibility for all air safety in Ireland. This has to be commended.

"Jim also had the remarkable achievement of leading Dublin to five All-Ireland senior football titles won with such discipline and determination. He has brought great integrity to all the roles he has filled in his career to date."

The Offaly TD also referenced Gavin's role on the Citizens' Assembly of Ireland and his stewardship of the North-East Inner City Taskforce in Dublin, which brings together public and community organisations to plan and implement service and facilities developments in Ireland's most disadvantaged community.

"We spoke at length regarding his activity on the North-East Inner City Taskforce. He has created so much positive change within that community and there are certain aspects of his planning and beliefs which we can implement here in our own county," the TD added.

McCormack said that, while he did not know Gavin personally, they share friends in common.

"Jim Gavin has shown himself to be a man of great character and I have no doubt that he possesses the qualities to become the next President of Ireland," Deputy McCormack concluded.

Meanwhile, Independent TD for Offaly Carol Nolan has extended her full support to Maria Steen in her bid for presidential candidacy.

This makes Deputy Nolan the first nationally-prominent politician to back Ms Steen, who played a central role last year in delivering a shock defeat to the Government in the its referendums on family and care.

"I am delighted to offer Maria my full support in her bid for Presidential candidacy. To my mind, she is a formidable unity candidate who can bring all strands of authentically independent voices together," said Deputy Nolan.

"Maria has demonstrated a remarkable ability and passion for the best of Irish constitutionalism and Irish tradition. I am strongly urging all Oireachtas members and indeed council members to give Maria the support she needs.

"There is a real sense out there that a substantial section of the population feels politically disenfranchised and politically homeless. They look to the party candidates and they perhaps rightly feel that the parties have acted for far too long as if the presidency was theirs by right, and that only a party candidate should sit in the Áras.

"It is my firm belief that we need to restore the presidency to the people. Indeed, last year Maria demonstrated a powerful and intuitive grasp of where the Irish people's views really lay with respect to protecting the integrity of the constitution and the principles which underpin it.

"I believe she can also be successful this time around," said the Independent Offaly TD.

"Áras an Uachtaráin must become the home of the people once again and not merely the glorified equivalent of a political party's constituency office," Deputy Nolan concluded.

Two weeks ago, Offaly Fine Gael TD John Clendennen declared his support for Heather Humphreys, who was this week ratified as Fine Gael's presidential candidate.

Meanwhile, at local Government level, the chair of Offaly County Council, Cllr John Leahy said a decision on the council's Presidential election candidate support process is likely to be made public when the local authority's Corporate Policy Group meets to formally discuss the issue on Monday next, September 8.

Following discussions with his fellow elected members, Cllr Leahy said it was expected that those looking for the support of councillors in Offaly would have to be proposed and seconded before they would have the opportunity to address the council chamber.