AN intriguing battle is in prospect to determine who will control the new-look Killarney municipal area on Kerry County Council with independents poised to do battle with two of the main establishment parties for the posts of chairman and vice chairman.
Three of the eight elected councillors are independents and they could be boosted in key votes by veteran South Kerry Independent Alliance councillor Michael Gleeson.
There are two Fianna Fail and two Fine Gael councillors who will control 50 per cent of the vote and, it is understood, they will attempt to strike a deal with one of the independents to enable them to take hold of the reins through the all-important casting vote of the chairman.
Gleeson, Brendan Cronin, Donal Grady or emphatic poll-topper Danny Healy-Rae are kingmakers-in-waiting and all it will take is one of them to join a FF-FG alliance and that will ultimately decide who will control voting trends over the next five years.
Fianna Fail duo John Joe Culloty and Niall Kelleher and the Fine Gael pairing of Bobby O’Connell and John Sheahan are expected to meet to decide who they are prepared to do business with going forward and much will depend on the demands and policy priorities brought to the table by the other four.
Whoever is elected chairman will effectively be Mayor of Killarney for a 12-month period and the profile that post offers, particularly in year five before the next election, could be a very significant bargaining tool for the three independents or the South Kerry Independent Alliance to factor in.
As already reported on KillarneyToday.com, an unlikely overall alliance between traditionally bitter political rivals Fianna Fail and Fine Gael could sway the balance of power on Kerry County Council when it meets for the first time in the coming days.
A voting pact between them is now seen as the most likely outcome as the battle for control of the 33-seat local authority intensifies.
Although Sinn Fein has called for a more inclusive approach, based on a percentage of votes secured at the polls, sources in both FF and FG have indicated that an agreement is likely to be reached to deny Sinn Fein and the various independents access to the chair and other key positions on various committees.
Fianna Fail and Fine Gael both have nine councillors elected and their combined voting power of 18 would be decisive.
