No Election Posters Necessary
Issued : Tuesday 19 May, 2009
Councillor John Gallagher for Dublin South West Inner City has once again chosen not to use election posters in the run up to next month’s local elections.
Election posters and their unsightly ties will not be part of my campaign in the upcoming local elections. This is not a new idea however. I chose not to use them in my previous election campaigns on the basis that they are unnecessary and a blight on the environment.
People across Dublin 8 and indeed the entire country have been sharing the same view as me since posters first went up at the start of the month. Many have expressed dislike towards the posters and ties claiming that they are an eyesore in the environment. In addition dislodged or badly placed posters can be a safety hazard.
Although fellow candidates have had posters mounted in an effort to be elected, I will once again not be using posters along with the ties that go with them. I was successfully elected in 1999 and 2004 without posters in my campaigns. This proves that you do not need election posters to be elected to serve your constituents.
Perhaps the Minister for the Environment would consider reviewing the legislation on postering and not just at election time. A number of candidates rather cynically observed the letter of the law, by putting up posters about public meetings over a two month period prior to the official date for legally erecting election posters. It would be good to hear from the Minister on the protection of the environment from unnecessary posters put up to promote candidates long before the date official dates for putting up posters.
Cllr 
