Burke to seek East seat after much soul searching

Last year, Mullingar accountant Peter Burke was a general election hit in Westmeath. One of the youngest candidates running for office nationwide, and without any public service under his belt, he still managed to pick up nearly 4,000 votes - despite competing against experienced colleagues in Athlone and Longford.Nineteen months later, the sharp fangs of circumstance are biting at the Clonmore man, as he seeks to find a political home ahead of the local elections in June.Seeking to be decisive in the midst of a personal as well as political crisis, the young political hopeful has chosen to seek a Fine Gael nomination in the Mullingar East electoral area. It"s a big move for someone who lives in - and draws much of his support from - Mullingar West, but one he has taken in the hope of maximising Fine Gael"s vote in the town.'It"s the hardest decision I"ve ever had to make in politics,' Peter told the Westmeath Examiner this week.'In 2004, when I ran in Mullingar West, it became a bit of a nightmare, because myself and Fintan [Cooney] were both town candidates, with a similar background and outlook, and living in close proximity to one another.'So with the advice of party strategists and the National Executive, I think that seeking a nomination on the Fine Gael ticket in East would be a good move.'It"s not like I"m stepping out of town. I"m living on the boundary of Mullingar West as it is.'With the help of number crunchers in head office, Peter has come to the conclusion that he has as much chance of winning votes in East as he would in West.'In the general election, I came in with around 1,621 in Mullingar East, an increase from the 1,459 which Paul McGrath won in 2002. In West, I picked up 1,850 votes, so there was a balance between the two areas,' he remarked.Also working to his advantage is the transfer of boxes from the Gainstown and Russellstown areas into East after the recent realignment of political boundaries. 'This played a big role in my decision,' he said.Militating against him in West, he believes, is the fact that the incumbent Fine Gael councillor, Fintan Cooney, already has a strong reputation as a town candidate. In East, he maintains that joining Coralstown"s Cllr. Pat McLoughlin on the FG ticket would create an urban-rural balance, helping Fine Gael to increase its overall vote in the area.There were a number of reasons for him to remain in the western ward. Firstly, there is the chance of a post-Budget backlash against Fianna Fáil, which may have presented Fine Gael with an opportunity to hammer out a greater presence in West. Secondly, there is the chance that Peter could have suffered a backlash himself while canvassing for a Town Council seat in his own area.'I think talk of a backlash against Fianna Fáil could be overestimated. They didn"t do too well in the locals here in 2004, and if they were at their lowest then, they can"t get any worse,' he said.'As far as the Town Council goes, I can"t see that there"s an issue. I"ll be running as a town candidate to represent all the people within the town boundary, and for that I can always count on the support of people in my own area.'Another concern is that his choice to run in East may lead him into the scenario of a scrap for the final seat with Cllr. Pat McLoughlin, someone for whom he holds 'a huge amount of respect'.'It is going to be difficult to win two seats in East, there"s no doubt about that. But if we put forward a competent campaign, then I see no reason why we couldn"t achieve it.'You run two candidates to go for the best possible scenario: two seats. But I know that it"s possible that if I"m selected, it could happen that myself and Pat could end up in a run-off for the one seat.'But you could easily say the same about myself and Fintan five years ago.'All of this is conjecture right now, as the Mullingar accountant has yet to receive the blessing of the party, which holds its selection convention in the spring. Adding spice to this mix is the fact that serving town councillor, Pat Whelan, has already declared his intention to seek a nomination in Mullingar East.It"s one of a number of political knots which will be teased out in Westmeath before voters hit the polls next June.