The Crowe flies in – despite leaflet drop!

Bradley Bytes a political column with Dara Bradley

It was all go for Mike Crowe last week. As well as the small matter of a final canvass during the local election campaign, Fianna Fáil’s finest also had a rearguard action to contend with.

Marathon man Richard Donovan produced leaflets that recounted how he and his brother had extracted a High Court apology and a six-figure sum in damages plus costs from Galway City Council arising from a defamation action against Crowe and the local authority.

Ten thousand of the colourful and unusual leaflets – in the style of a comic strip – were produced to put through the letterboxes of voters in Crowe’s heartlands around City East.

The timing of the action, on the eve of an election, could have torpedoed Crowe’s chances of returning to City Hall.

When all the counting was finished, Crowe dropped 105 first preferences compared with 2014, but retained his seat – and Fianna Fáil made a gain in City East, and two extra seats overall, in their best election in 20 years.

Asked about the controversy and whether it was an attempt to derail his campaign, after his re-election on Sunday, Mike said: “I don’t want to say anything about it really. It is what it is. I think it was a very disappointing thing to happen. I think it was unfair on myself. That’s my point of view. Everybody’s entitled to their point of view. My intention was and remains to get through this weekend as best as I can, despite that and other things happening and I’ll have a look at the situation as we move into next week and the future.”

There could be more twists in the tale yet . . .

Soc Dem people profit from Joyless Joe’s vote

The elimination of People Before Profit’s Joe Loughnane was a massive fillip to Social Democrat Sharon Nolan.

She took 165 of Joyless Joe’s transfers on the sixth count, which pushed her ahead of Colette Connolly (Ind), Martina O’Connor (Green) and John McDonagh (Lab) . . .

For more election special Bradley Bytes see this week’s Galway City Tribune