DUP stalwart Hanna ‘over the moon’ to top poll

DUP stalwart Hanna ‘over the moon’ to top poll

24 May 2023

ALLIANCE’S bid for a seat in The Mournes in 2019 fell agonisingly short, but the party was confident of success in 2023 and so it proved.

Jill Truesdale secured the party’s first ever seat in the DEA with her election success confirmed as the clock edged towards 3am on Saturday.

Despite the lateness of the hour and candidates, party supporters and election staff hoping for a second wind to keep them going, the stillness of the night was punctuated by jubilant Alliance supporters celebrating victory.

With the six other seats going to the DUP’s Glyn Hanna and Henry Reilly, Sinn Fein’s Willie Clarke, Michael Rice and Leeanne McEvoy and Laura Devlin (SDLP), it was the TUV’s Harold McKee who failed to get over the line to return to the council for another four years.

Hanna topped the poll with an impressive haul of 2,340 votes — almost 400 more than four years ago when he also came out on top.

The Manchester City fanatic said he was “over the moon” but didn’t clarify if it was a blue moon which City fans sing passionately about.

“To say I am ecstatic about my vote would be an understatement and to exceed the quota by 700 votes is very humbling. I am grateful to everyone who voted for me,” Cllr Hanna continued.

“My vote and that of my colleague Henry Reilly confirms the overwhelming support for the DUP and that people are fully behind the party and its policies under Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s leadership.”

He said people across the Mournes area wanted better local services and that would be one of the priority issues for him when the new council returns.

“Ratepayers are entitled to this and it’s the job of councillors to deliver that for them,” he continued, confirming he was keen to see local authority finances invested in a better way across the district.

Cllr Hanna said while there was a lot of work to do, elected representatives had to be mindful of the current challenging financial environment with money extremely tight for everyone and particularly at council level.

But he said there must be no more huge rates rises, urging the local authority to find more efficiencies.

Cllr Reilly said local issues were the main topics of discussion on the doorstep and was pleased to be returning to the council chamber as part of a strong DUP lineup.

Cllr Clarke — elected on the first count with 1,915 votes which is almost double his 2019 total — is prioritising investment in Newcastle to revitalise the town’s harbour and outdoor Rock Pool and the resort’s proposed new leisure centre. He said major investment in the roads infrastructure is also necessary.

“The bottom line for me throughout my time in politics has been delivery. That’s what people want to see and it is up to elected representatives to work with their party colleagues and others to do exactly that,” Cllr Clarke continued.

“Council facilities in Newcastle area not fit-for-purpose and that’s been the case during my 22 years in politics. We have been looking for a new leisure centre for two decades with the business case for a new facility at the site of the current Newcastle Centre moving forward.”

Cllr Devlin, disappointed that her SDLP running mate Dominic O’Reilly did not get elected, was also keen to see the resort’s new leisure complex progress, alongside work to revitalise the Rock Pool and the resort’s historic harbour.

Newly elected Alliance councillor Truesdale said she was delighted to be the party’s first representative in The Mournes and part of its continued surge across Northern Ireland.

“It’s my first election and at 3am this all feels certainly surreal and I am really happy that I made it through,” she continued, explaining that one of the key issues on the door was the amount of money people had in their pockets.

She added: “There is a lot of work to be done in Newcastle and there are a number of issues going on at the moment so it will be good to dig into those.”

Cllr Michael Rice, who was co-opted to replace the late Sean Doran, said he was delighted to retain the seat held by his friend and mentor.

“I was so anxious about the election campaign and am proud that I won the seat back for Sean and would dedicate my election success to him. He will be looking down a proud man today,” he continued.

He said his key priorities will be improved services for rural communities and providing a strong voice and advocate for people in these areas “who deserve the same level of services as people right across the council area.”