Seven
candidates will spend the next four weeks competing for the title of first
citizen of Rosses Point.
The
seaside village has dispensed with frivolous democracy and turned the battle to
be Mayor of Rosses Point into a straight money fight.
The
title of Mayor was handed to Sligo solicitor and Rosses Point resident Brendan
Johnson in the late ‘90s after a superb fundraising campaign on behalf of the
Scouts Den.
Now,
seven candidates must again raise money for the den, which is in severe need of
repair. And, whoever raises the most cash by the time the June 21 deadline rolls
around, will be crowned the new Mayor of Rosses Point.
Topping
the list of candidates is long-time Rosses Point resident Susie Petersen. This
student has already been actively campaigning for the cause, raising funds
throughout the village.
Her
dedication to becoming Mayor will surely be matched by her dedication as Mayor
should she get the title, but with a month still to run, expect to see plenty
more of Susie and her campaign team.
Simon
Rooney, a well known Rosses Point man and son of Dominic and Freda Rooney, is
another man looking to capture the title of Mayor.
His
preferred method of raising funds is to blackmail friends and threaten enemies,
although he has other, less criminal, methods of persuading you to part with
your hard earned cash.
Auctioneer
John Ryan is seen as the bookie’s favourite to capture the chain of office,
but he has his work cut out matching the six other contenders.
Should
he be elected into office, his first move will be to emulate the success of
Strandhill Airport across the bay, by bringing a decommissioned aircraft carrier
across the Atlantic from the US. A viable idea? You decide.
Rosses
Point native and television producer Kieran Devaney will be targeting those
ex-pat Point people who return to the village every summer or every few years.
Many
still take a very active interest in Rosses Point life and have strong ties with
the village and various fund-raising events which go on there.
John
Finnegan comes from a very well known Rosses Point family. A taxi driver and
very talented singer, he will be putting the latter skill to use in raising
funds for the scouts den.
A
former scout himself, John is keen to pay thanks to those who have kept it
running and will be raising funds for its refurbishment through a series of
events.
Tom
Devaney serves a dual role as barman and postmaster in Rosses Point. And when
he’s neither behind the bar nor behind the post office counter, you can find
him running the length of Rosses Point’s golden beaches.
The
fittest of our seven mayoral contenders, Tom will be hoping he won’t get the
run-around from friends and supporters when the time comes to dig into the
wallet.
The
final contender is Linda Gault, who works in the Waterfront Bar and Restaurant
and is well known by the regular diners and patrons.
Linda
will be representing the Waterfront and that is where you can bring your
contributions for her mayoral campaign.
Numerous
events will be organised by the seven candidates over the next four weeks and
the Sligo Weekender will bring you as many of them as possible.
Please
support all of the candidates as much as you can as this event, while being run
in a competitive spirit, is still for a very worthy cause.