Shaw added to Fine Gael local election ticket

Chairman of the local Fine Gael branch Alan Shaw was officially added to the Fine Gael ticket for next year"s Athlone Town Council election on Wednesday of last week. He joins councillors Mark Cooney and Mick O"Connell and candidate Gabrielle McFadden on a four-strong ticket and believes that there is a desire for change among the Athlone electorate that could see all four of them elected to the council in June of next year. Alan, a native of Castlebar in Co Mayo, has lived in Athlone since 1991 and has family roots in north Westmeath. He came to Athlone to study accountancy at AIT and after graduating he joined local firm Russell Brennan Keane, where he is now a Senior Manager in Client Services. Since moving to Athlone, Alan has immersed himself in the community and is involved with a number of organisations, including Athlone Little Theatre, Athlone Musical Society, the RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival Committee and was recently involved in establishing the Athlone Film Club. He first became involved in the social scene in Athlone with the Musical Society and acted as the society"s treasurer for a couple of years as well as taking part in the musicals themselves, which he said was a great way to get to know people in the town. Through the society he then became involved with the organising committee of the RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival. Having a strong Fine Gael background, Alan became involved with the local organisation about six years ago and, along with Cllr Mick O"Connell, established the local Young Fine Gael branch. 'I was introduced by Senator Nicky McFadden, who has been very open to new people being involved at local level, as has Cllr Mark Cooney,' Alan said this week. He explained that he was secretary of the branch for three years and is now the chairman himself. Alan added that he had been involved in a number of local and general election campaigns and had worked closely with Senator Nicky McFadden and a number of councillors and also canvassed for various referenda on behalf of the party. Quizzed on the latest opinion polls, which indicate an increase in support for Fine Gael and a decrease in support for Fianna Fáil, Alan said: 'I"ve always believed since last May that there was an opening for Fine Gael in this town to re-establish itself. We are under-represented numerically on the Town Council and there is a desire for change, not just in the recent polls, but it"s something that was there anyway.' He added that there was a good mix on the election ticket. 'As things stand we have a very qualified and well-rounded ticket, we are spread geographically and involved in different parts of the community,' he said. Asked if he was at somewhat of a disadvantage as a result of being added to the ticket late, Alan said: 'A new candidate always has to work harder to bring themselves into the limelight, into the media focus, but I think because I"m already involved in a number of communtiy groups, and I have been working to build a platform, that I have a good base from which to start work.' 'I think we can win four seats and I think that people, combined with the recent polls, have a desire for change. With four seats we can be in a position to control the Town Council and make decisions for the benefit of the town itself.' He said as a resident of Woodville, he has seen first hand areas that needs better management by the council, explaining that the estate began in 1998 and has still not been completed properly. He pointed out that there were a number of issues that needed to be tackled and he would be listening to what people said on the doorsteps between now and June. The local Fine Gael organisation said in a statement this week that for the first time in a number of years the party had a real chance of winning four seats. 'Our candidates are out canvassing homes in Athlone over the past number of months, and the feed back on the doorstep, is that people want change,' the statement read, adding that Fine Gael now felt that with the addition of Alan Shaw to the ticket, it had four very strong candidates.