Green Party Deputy Leader Cllr. Catherine Martin has said that Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council has a golden opportunity at this evening's Council meeting (Monday, 9th November) to lead the way by becoming the first local authority to restrict election posters to specific, designated public areas within the County. The parameters of the motion Cllr. Martin has proposed concern the two urban Dáil Constituencies in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown: Dublin-Rathdown and Dún Laoghaire. She accepted that her proposal may not suit some large rural constituencies.
Speaking today, Cllr. Martin was optimistic about the proposal: “I am satisfied that this is 'doable’ and the preliminary response received from the Council Executive confirms my viewpoint. If there is a will, there is a way. This represents quite a radical, but eminently sensible departure to the heretofore traditional postering, which pervades at election times but the benefits of making the change are clear and significant.
“It is a cleaner, environmentally-friendly proposal, it promotes a safer local environment cutting down on litter and the dangers of falling posters, and eliminates the unsightly spectacle of posters clinging to every public space during election time.
“With the emergence of many new political parties/groupings and independents, we can expect to see an even further proliferation of haphazard, disorganised postering in the next election.”
“Adopting the proposal on a pilot basis rather than at this stage seeking a permanent implementation is best. Apart from numerous and less expensive social media options one possible alternative to disorganised postering in a built up urban area would be for candidates to pay a small fee to local authority to fund large temporary billboards in prominent, but safe, designated areas.”