Unlucky for some, but lucky for Cllr Gillian Toole as she crossed the line on the 13th count. to fill the last seat in Meath East. A massive transfer of 1759 votes propelled her from 7194 to 8953 votes, with Sharon Tolan FG finishing on 5482 behind her. The seat went to Toole without making the quota of 9997.
A tired but delighted Deputy Toole was gracious in victory ” Straight off I am tired, but second off I am excited for the next chapter. I love learning new things and I think I probably have a fairly rapid learning curve to contend with. It is a new section of my life. I am told I am the first Independent Meath deputy in Meath, so its great, I still have council emails to catch up on and outstanding representations to HSE ” she says despite the magnitude of her achievement at Ashbourne GAA Centre last night.
Toole moves up the political ladder and talk of who her will be coopted is for another day. Below the campaign message : ” Independent, Persistent and Fair ” reads the branding line, constituents voted for her in the local elections and now the national election in December on those values.
