ELECTION candidates fear a
‘lockout’ from thousands of potential voters living in apartment complexes across the Northside could prove costly in local and EU polls next May.
Candidates traditionally rely on door-to-door canvassing in the weeks and months leading up to poll day to connect with voters. But tens of thousands of voters are now living in apartment complexes where candidates can’t gain access.
Former postman and Labour councillor John Redmond says politicians are finding it almost impossible to connect with constituents living in apartments and there are fears potential voters may become alienated from their public representatives.
Cllr Redmond says he understands security concerns with allowing access to complexes but is pleading with local residents’ groups in apartment developments to help find a solution to the problem.
“My experience at the last elections in 2009 was that you’d be ringing and ringing bells in an apartment complex and you’d be lucky if you got anybody to answer you,
? he told Northside People.
“I hadn’t any codes or anything so it was just pot-luck as to whether I was going to get in or not. I might gain access if somebody was going in or out but more times than not, I just couldn’t get in.
“When I was a postman, we used to get a fob from the council to get into senior citizens’ complexes when we were delivering mail so I would presume the postmen have codes to get into apartments.
“It’s a problem for the likes of ourselves, trying to drop leaflets or call to constituents.
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Cllr Redmond says it’s unrealistic to expect keys or codes to be handed out due to security concerns but he hopes a solution to the problem can be found.
“I really don’t know what the answer is,
? he admitted.
“Maybe coming up to an election there could be some kind of person designated to allow access at a specific time. Residents groups who were willing could call some kind of a meeting of local candidates and ask them what days they’d be calling to have some kind of a plan or a timeframe as to when it would be suitable to call.
“You have to respect people, regardless of whether they want to engage with politicians or not. But there are people who do want to get involved and you have to provide space for them.
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Duncan Smith, another of Labour’s candidates in the Swords ward, has also raised the issue.
According to Mr Smith, there are over 3,000 apartments in his ward alone, stretching from Northwood, Santry and Mayeston Hall, Meakstown in the south end to Applewood in Swords and The Gallery in Donabate.
“Apartments comprise approximately 15 per cent of the total number of households in the ward,
? Mr Smith told Northside People.
“I have encountered many difficulties trying to canvas apartments and getting to speak to people face-to-face.
“I have been unable to access apartments in Applewood and Northwood in the last two weeks alone but it has been a problem with every apartment block since I began canvassing last summer.
“Occasionally, a door will be open and I can drop a leaflet into a postbox but there is a sense you are intruding into a personal space in a way you don’t feel when you are dropping into a house.
“That said, I have received positive feedback from apartment dwellers who have received literature as they don’t feel abandoned or forgotten.
“This response indicates the real need to break down the barriers between public representative and apartment dweller.
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Mr Smith said he fears missing out on potential votes.
“As a young homeowner and a member of generation debt, I am coping with the same issues that many apartment owners face,
? he stated.
“We are the generation living in houses and apartments that were built during the boom years and we are facing the consequences.
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Mr Smith said that despite the advent of social media as a tool to get your message across, there was no substitute for listening to people’s concerns and speaking with them in person.
“The relationship between a member of the public and a public representative should be based on trust and mutual understanding,
? he said.
“It is impossible to fully develop this through social media posts and leaflet drops alone.
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In a bid to get around the problem, Mr Smith said he was going to make a request to Fingal County Council that it organises an open forum for apartment dwellers and local candidates to meet and discuss issues of concern.
“It would give apartment dwellers an opportunity to meet all the candidates and air the issues on which they will be voting in May,
? he added.
Property management agents, Greendoor, who manage several Northside complexes, told Northside People that security is one of the biggest concerns for apartment owners and tenants.
“Lax security protocols very quickly turns a secure development into one where abuse becomes rampant,
? said Managing Director, Julian Ritchie.
“Over the 33 developments we manage and the 3,000 properties within those developments, access is restricted to those who have a right to be there.
“Contractors appointed by us, our team of property managers and occupants themselves are the only stakeholders allowed access to common areas.
“In our experience, where door entry codes are made available to residents it’s only a matter of weeks before everyone knows the codes and before too long every local delivery driver and visitor knows the code.
“Giving out codes eventually leads to the wrong person entering the property and damage, theft or even worse occurring.
“There are many instances where, for matters of convenience, a code is available to the managing agent to allow access to the common areas – we control these very tightly and in almost all cases even the directors of the development will be unaware of what these codes are.
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Mr Ritchie suggested politicians could check the voter register and attempt to contact constituents by calling them on the apartment complex intercom.
He also pointed out that management companies who got involved with politicians could run into problems.
“Management companies cannot get involved with
‘advertising’ when the visiting politicians may be available – can you imagine the difficulty with trying to manage all the various requests that may come and the inevitable outcry should someone decide that we were biased for or against a particular party?
? he said.
“It is for this reason that managing agents should avoid becoming a
‘medium’ between occupants and political candidates.
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“There needs to be a re-think from all sides on how to resolve this issue.
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