Election Process Report

 Thursday 6^th September 2007 10,000 leaflets delivered to all homes in Ballyfermot by Media Communications Direct Ireland Ltd.

 Monday 10^th September 2007 Public meeting held in Ballyfermot Civic Centre

8 attended

Tuesday 11^th September 2007 Public meeting held in Orchard Community Centre

9 attended

Wednesday 12^th September 2007 Public meeting held in Ballyfermot Resource Centre

3 attended

Thursday 13^th September 2007 Public meeting held in St Marys Youth Centre

0 attended

 Monday 17^th September 2007 Election Pack including nomination forms sent to all residents associations, Street Committees in Dublin 10 total 27 with request for assistance in process.

 Closing date for nominations was Friday 28^th September 2007 at 5.00pm.

5 confirmed nominations received by hand at or before closing time.

Marie Hartigan 3 Orchard Lawns, Cherry Orchard, Dublin 10

Nominated by Cedarbrook Residents Association and Croftwood Together.

Representing the issues of People with Disabilities and Older Persons Issues

Confirmed Candidate for Cherry Orchard A/C Electoral Area

 Suzanne McLoughlin 92 Cherry Orchard Avenue, Cherry Orchard, Dublin 10

Nominated by 30 signatures from electoral area.

Representing the issues of Parenting Alone and Youth Issues

Confirmed Candidate for Cherry Orchard A/C Electoral Area

 Jason Palmer 37 Blackditch Road, Ballyfermot Dublin 10

Nominated by Carna Community Association and Blackditch Residents Association.

Representing the issues of People with Disabilities and Older Persons Issues

Confirmed Candidate for Carna/Kylemore Electoral Area

 Brenda Maxwell 6 Gurteen Avenue, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10

Nominated by Ballyfermot Area Action Co-Op Society

Representing the issues of Substance Abuse and Older Persons Issues

Confirmed Candidate for Drumfinn/Gurteen Electoral Area

 Henry Harding 97 O’Hogan Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10

Nominated by Lower Ballyfermot Residents and Tenants Association and Ballyfermot Area Action Co-Op Society

Representing the issues of New Communities and Older Persons Issues

Confirmed Candidate for Decies/Kilmainham A Electoral Area

 Monday 1^st October 2007 further nomination received by post.

Kathleen Moloney, 7 Kylemore Grove, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10.

Nominated by Ballyfermot Community Association and Labre Park Residents Group

Representing the issues of Parenting Alone and Traveller Issues

Ineligible candidate for Carna/Kylemore electoral area due to nomination arriving late.

Ballyfermot RAPID Area Programme Election Sub Committee met on Thursday 4^th October 2007 at 11.00am in conference room 6 Ballyfermot Community Civic Centre

Attending were, Pat Teehan, RAPID Co-Ordinator, Sean Moloney and Ciaran Reid, Co-Chairs Interim AIT, Alan Trimble, CDP & FRC Representative AIT, Henry Harding, Pam O’Reilly and Mary Storey Community Representatives AIT.

Jason Palmer, Brenda Maxwell, Henry Harding, Suzanne McLoughlin and Marie Hartigan were deemed to be qualified candidates.

Kathleen Moloney was deemed to be ineligible having missed the nominations deadline.

 Jason Palmer, Brenda Maxwell and Henry Harding, having been confirmed as being qualified candidates and being the only candidate in their respective electoral areas were deemed to be elected unopposed subject to ratification by the Interim AIT.

 Suzanne McLoughlin and Marie Hartigan, having been confirmed as being qualified candidates in the Cherry Orchard A/C electoral area must participate in an election to be held on the 16^th October 2007 in the Orchard Community Centre between 9.30am and 9.30pm. Election procedures to be overseen by the RAPID Co-Ordinator and administered by the Dominican Convent Transition Year Students.

Inspector Frank Dunleavey, will be the count verifier and ensure election protocols are adhered to.

 Thursday 11^th October, 2,500 copies of the candidate profiles for Cherry Orchard Area printed and delivered in the Cherry Orchard A&C electoral area.

 17^th October 2007. Election verification took place in the Ballyfermot Community Civic Centre before Inspector Frank Dunleavey, (count verifier), Sean Moloney and Ciaran Reid, 9Co-Chairs Interim AIT), Henry Harding, (Community Representative Interim AIT), John Egan (Community Officer Dublin City Council), Pat Teehan, (RAPID CO-Ordinator) and the students of the Dominican Convent Transition Year.

 Suzanne McLaughlin was deemed elected by a majority of 38 votes.

 Thank you to all who participated in this process especially the students of the Dominican Convent Transition Year.

All candidates agree to make up a Community Participation Team who will meet regularly and present issues to the community representatives and get feedback as to what is happening. This will ensure information on the Ballyfermot RAPID Programme is distributed to the community. New members can join this team. Capacity building and support will take place within the group rather than solely with individual community representatives.

Specific Duties for those elected as Community Representatives on

Ballyfermot RAPID Area Implementation Team

• Attend all AIT meetings where possible.
• Bring feedback to and from the AIT to area/groups.
• Attend meetings to prepare for and debrief from AIT meetings.
• Attend relevant training and regional events as appropriate.

A community representative on the AIT must:

• Be a resident within the Ballyfermot RAPID area.
• Be representative of local opinion.
• Be willing to work in partnership with representatives from the statutory, voluntary and local development sectors.
• Work in the interest of the community of Dublin 10 as a whole;
• Represent a clear mandated community of Dublin 10 agenda and not one’s own self-interest.
• Be prepared regardless of the outcome of the elections to become an active member of the RAPID Community Participation Team, whose role will be to develop innovative ways of promoting community participation in the RAPID Programme and in assisting elected Community Representatives on the Ballyfermot RAPID Programme to facilitate a two way feedback mechanism between the wider community and the AIT.

Additionally duties will entail a commitment to regularly attend and actively partake in meetings pertaining to AIT business.

A community representative on the AIT should ideally:

• Have an understanding of social inclusion issues e.g. social exclusion, poverty, unemployment, educational disadvantage etc.
• Demonstrate ability to link with a wide range of community groups in the area of Dublin 10 and to bring forward views from a diversity of community groups and residents.
• Have an interest and willingness to consult with and include the different target groups of the RAPID Programme i.e. unemployed, lone parents, young people at risk, people with disabilities, Travellers, asylum seekers and refugees etc.
• Possess a commitment to bringing forward the key issues and concerns that affect residents in the area as they relate to the RAPID Programme.
• Be open to new ways of working in order to bring about positive change in the RAPID area.

However, the RAPID IAIT recognise that the above five points are a hope. It is anticipated that all community participants will, with training and experience, gain a full understanding of their own abilities, develop new skills and gain expertise in solving social inclusion problems in the Ballyfermot RAPID Area.

Length of Service

A reasonable period that allows for some positive outcomes to have been achieved.

Elections will be held mid-way during the programmes term (5 years) and drawn from the community participation team. A phase-in period will be allotted for new candidates to familiarise themselves with the RAPID process.

Time Committments

Members of the RAPID AIT are required to attend all meetings, except in exceptional circumstances. Meetings occur monthly and last approx one hour. A further meeting will occur before the AIT meeting to brief community representatives on the agenda and will ideally start one half hour before the AIT meeting. Other voluntary commitments such as consultation days with Pobal are at the discretion of the representative.

Click to download rapid-elections-today-poster 

Click to download election-notice-poster

Downloadable form here nomination-form 

The Ballyfermot RAPID Interim Area Implementation Team is committed to finding an open and democratic means of electing four community representatives (on a ward and issue basis), on to the permanent AIT.

Following a review of protocols for the election of community representatives on to RAPID AITs across the country, a range of options were recorded as methods for election that are viewed to be open and democratic by various communities throughout Ireland and agreed at the Ballyfermot Community Open Consultation in December 2006.

The following is the procedure that will operate for the election of community representatives to the Ballyfermot AIT.

Electoral Areas / Representation

Four area-based candidates will be elected to represent their area and each candidate will identify 2 issues from the list below that they will represent on the AIT. The election will be based on the following Electoral areas (solely for the purpose of RAPID AIT elections).

• Cherry Orchard, A & C
• Lower Ballyfermot, (Decies and Kilmainham A)
• Drumfinn/Gurteen
• Carna/Kylemore

The following are issues/concerns identified under the Ballyfermot RAPID community consultation:

1. Unemployed        
2. Substance misusers
3. Young peoples issues  
4. Travellers
5. New Communities              
6. Lone parents  
7. People with disabilities       
8. Older people

Nominations are open to all residents in the Dublin 10 Area.

Candidates can:

1. Candidates must have their nomination endorsed by local residents - 30 signatures

or

1. Secure a nomination from a minimum of two local residents associations formally recognised by Dublin City Council within their electoral area;

or

1. Secure nomination from one of the following Groups/Organisations: Ballyfermot Action Co-op, Cherry Orchard Development Council.

Note: Ballyfermot Action Co-op will be entitled to nominate or endorse no more than one candidate to each of the following electoral areas:

• Lower Ballyfermot, (Decies and Kilmainham A)
• Drumfinn/Gurteen
• Carna/Kylemore

Cherry Orchard Development Council will be entitled to nominate or endorse no more than one candidate to the

• Cherry Orchard A & C

A Nominations Committee will review all nominations.

The Co-ordinator must receive all nominations before Friday 28^th September at 5pm.

Elections Procedures

A ballot paper will be produced which identifies all the eligible candidates in alphabetical order with a photo and biographical details that focuses on their suitability for election, identifying their gifts, talents and issue/s. Ballot papers will be distributed to all households prior to an identified election date. Polling will be held at central locations within the electoral area on a date to be identified.

For further information on residents groups or election protocols contact

Pat Teehan RAPID Co-Ordinator at above address.

Community Representative Election Process

Early September/October

• One public meeting to be held in each of the identified electoral wards beginning week of 10^th September 2007. Local secondary schools Transition Year Students to be assigned areas and supervised by an already agreed core group of volunteers. This will serve to inform the public and bring forth some nominations from the meeting. All households in each area will be notified beforehand. All local newspapers given advance notice in order to run stories beforehand.
• Further two weeks allowed for nominations with definitive closing date. All nomination forms to be sent to co-ordinator. All nominees will receive information pack on personal commitments to Ballyfermot RAPID if elected.
• Nominations committee from IAIT to check all nominations within one week of closing date.
• Candidate profile papers sent out to all households in area to include nominee photo, area of representation and other information agreed with nominee. Posters advertising election date to be posted prominately in all areas.
• Closing Date for nominations 5.00pm 28^th September 2007. All nominations to reach the RAPID Co-Ordinator before this date.

October:

• Polling will take place in the four areas from 9.00 am to 9.00 pm on polling day Monday 15^th or Tuesday 16^th October and manned by transition year students with supervisors. Food to be supplied under RAPID Programme.
• All four polling boxes will be sealed, notarised and kept by co-ordinator until counting begins.
• Counting of votes by students in each area to be achieved by max 2 days after polling day.
• Results in local papers and on community notice boards after successful candidates informed.