Fianna Fáil"s election candidates to be unveiled

The candidates running for Fianna Fáil in next year"s local elections in the Athlone area are expected to be unveiled by the end of the year. It is expected the party will run six candidates for Athlone Town Council and four or five for the Athlone area of Westmeath County Council. Party headquarters will make the final call on who will run for Fianna Fáil next June and rather than having an election convention, headquarters will have a talk with sitting councillors and will interview other potential candidates. Nine people will hoping to be on the Town Council election ticket - the four sitting councillors Egbert Moran, Kevin "Boxer" Moran, John Butler and Kieran Molloy as well as branch chairman Michael O"Brien, Westmeath County Councillor Frankie Keena, Aengus O"Rourke, Sheila Buckley Byrne and Joy Salaja. Party sources indicate that none of the sitting councillors are in any danger of not being selected to run in the election, which will leave the other five candidates battling it out for two positions on the election ticket. In the Athlone area of the county council the four sitting councillors Tom Allen, Frankie Keena, Kevin "Boxer" Moran and Kieran Molloy are sure to make it onto the ticket, but Mayor of Athlone Egbert Moran and Sheila Buckley Byrne are also hoping to be added to the ticket. It"s possible headquarters may add a fifth candidate to the ticket, but they will not run six candidates for the county council. The interviews/talks with potential county council candidates will be held on November 28, with the ones for town council candidates expected to be held at a later date and a decision from party headquarters due before Christmas. Councillors have been somewhat fearful that there will be a backlash from voters as a result of the unfavourable Budget announced this year, but local Deputy Mary O"Rourke is confident the councillors can overcome this as they have an excellent record with working with their constituents. 'We have very strong councillors and I have great faith in the work they"ve done for the people and feel their strength is the personal work they undertake. I know from the cases they bring to me that they are working hard for their constituents and I have every faith they will do very well at the upcoming elections,' she said.