Election day spat erupts between Fine Gael candidates

As Westmeath voters go to the polls in today's triple-header of elections, a spat has erupted between two Fine Gael local election candidates over the apparent use of an email contact list connected with a local anti-industrial windfarm group.

Emily Wallace, one of Fine Gael's candidates in the Mullingar East/Coole area, reacted angrily to her running mate Cllr Peter Burke's decision to bulk-email over 300 Midlands Industrial Wind Turbine Action Group (MIWTAG) contacts with a pre-election appeal earlier this morning.

In the email, Cllr Burke appealed to the contacts - many of them residents of Gaybrook and surrounding areas of rural Mullingar - to consider him for a first preference vote, in light of his objection to proposals by Cavan-based wind energy firm, Gaeltech, to erect industrial wind turbines in the area in 2010.

"I was one of the few Councillors in your area to submit a personal objection in my own name to the development, and I attended all public meetings on the issue and made contributions at those meetings," Cllr Burke appealed.

"In addition, I made my office in Mary Street available to anyone who needed assistance in the preparation and completion of their own submissions objecting to the development."

Hours later, Ms Wallace - in her capacity as MIWTAG's PRO, not as an election candidate - emailed the same 310 contacts to criticise Cllr Burke's move.

"This email contact list was set up to communicate information from the Midlands Industrial Wind Turbine Action Group (MIWTAG) committee to the residents of the area," Ms Wallace wrote.

"At no stage did the MIWTAG ever contemplate using your personal email addresses for anything else other than that intended, which you supplied in good faith and given to us at our meetings held in Bloomfield.

"As PRO of MIWTAG I have been contacted by members of the committee and like myself are disappointed that one of my fellow local election candidates, Peter Burke has once again used this email address for his own political gain.

"I ask you to disregard this and any other political message using this email and apologise to you for any inconvenience this may have caused."

When contacted by the Westmeath Examiner, Cllr Burke made no apology for using the mailing list, saying that he had engaged with many of the contacts on windfarm-related issues.

"From the group's inception, I forwarded people ideas and advice on how to deal with Gaeltech, and kept them updated on representations I made," he said.

"I note Emily's concerns, and I wish her the best for the election."