The presidential campaign of Gareth Sheridan has said he should not be blocked from presenting his pitch to Louth Council due to an email not being received within the deadline, calling it an “administrative glitch” that they are working to resolve.
In an exchange with Gript this morning, a spokesman for the Sheridan campaign explained that an email containing a copy of his passport had been sent to the council within the allotted timeframe, but was not received due to a technical issue.
“In Louth, we accept there is a technical glitch in the administrative error over an email,” the spokesman said.
“It’s an administrative glitch around an email that wasn’t received in time pertaining to a copy of his passport. It can’t be resolved by the officials due to standing orders and it’s a reserve function of the councillors.
“The email pertains to a photocopy of his passport, which was a requirement of all councils to prove you’re Irish and you’re over 35.
“It was sent. It wasn’t received. We accept that, and it’s being resolved as we speak…But it’s not like someone has found, oh gosh, he’s not actually 35, or gosh, he isn’t Irish. It’s very manageable and it’s not insurmountable.”
The campaign insisted the issue was a matter of process rather than eligibility, adding that the campaign was in discussions with councillors in Louth to resolve the situation.
Asked if cooperation was expected from the Council, he replied: “All the indications are that that’s the case, yes.
“Normally the councils facilitate if it’s possible to do so, like people turning up late, people missing their slot and asking can they dial in and so on. And so it is an administrative glitch which is currently being resolved. And that’s the truth of it.”
Despite the setback, Sheridan’s campaign said it was continuing its focus on securing nominations in Meath and Offaly, where meetings are taking place today.
“There’s no change of plan for us. So he’s now gone into Meath for 9.30. He’s due to present around 11.00. That’s contingent on who else turns up,” the spokesman said.
“He then, either way, before the vote in Meath, has to leg it to Tullamore for the Offaly meeting, where he’s the only nominee being proposed by the chairman, Councillor John Leahy. He launched his campaign on August 10th at the Tullamore Show, so it’s a full circle moment.”
The campaign said winning Meath would place Sheridan in a strong position heading into Offaly, while failure to secure it would leave him “on the back foot” still needing support in both Louth and Offaly.
The Louth County Council meeting is scheduled to hear from only two candidates after Sheridan was excluded: Nick Delehanty and Keith McGrory, who both submitted the required documentation.
Fianna Fáil councillor John Sheridan told Gript the deadline had been clear.
“At the end of the day, there was a very clear deadline set there. If it wasn’t complied with, I don’t know how that hasn’t become public in the last 24 hours, you know?” Cllr. Sheridan said.
“The only email I got was from Nick Delehanty. I know there’s another candidate, I think McGrory, Keith McGrory maybe, who two Sinn Féin councillors have nominated. So, look, obviously, we’ll hear from them. At the end of the day, people had to call somewhere to contact us. Some did, in fairness. And we have a constitutional duty to give people a fair hearing.”
Gareth Sheridan, an entrepreneur and founder of pharmaceutical company Nutriband Inc., has so far secured nominations from Kerry County Council and Tipperary County Council. Four county council nominations are required to appear on the ballot.
To date, the only other Independent candidates to receive nominations are Catherine Connolly, who has backing from left wing parties, and Maria Steen, who has 13 Oireachtas nominations out of the required 20.
The deadline for nominations is this coming Wednesday this week.