Tribunal allegations indicate bitterness of the campaign

Allegations that a Wicklow County Council candidate is being investigated by the Flood tribunal have been sent to three newspapers, including The Irish Times. The newspapers, having investigated the allegations, declined to publish them, but their very appearance at this time suggests how bitter some aspects of the election in Wicklow have become.

It also indicates how passionate the area is about development. Members of the Ballynagran Coolbeg action group, having spent the past five years picketing every meeting of the outgoing council in protest against a large-scale dump, have taken advertisements in the Bray People newspaper to remind voters which councillors supported their case.

In the Greystones Town Commission election, Mr Fiachra Etchingham, who has been closely associated with campaigns against housing development on Bray Head and active on the redevelopment of Greystones Harbour, should get a strong personal vote. He is standing for the Labour Party. In addition to the Greystones Town Commission there are urban district councils at Bray, Wicklow, and Arklow - all in the urbanised east and north of the county, which face the same questions of housing and industrial development, coupled with protection of the environment.

In the county council elections, Fine Gael has targeted the Greystones electoral area as a place where Mr Derek Mitchell - heavily involved in the marina proposals for the harbour - could win a second seat, joining Fine Gael's Mr George Jones.

The leading Fianna Fail candidate in the Greystones area, Mr Dick Roche TD lives in Bray, a factor which may help former Fianna Fail commissioner, Mr Chris Moloney, who decided to contest both the town commission and the county council as an Independent.

In the Bray UDC elections, local solicitor Mr Joe Buckley - who lost out by a handful of votes at the last election - looks virtually certain to take a seat.

The Greens should retain the seat at county council level which was won last time out by now outgoing MEP Ms Nuala Ahern. The seat has been held by a number of people since Ms Ahern's election as MEP. The incumbent is Mr Alex Perkins of Delgany.

However, the election issues in the county are divided, with the west and the south looking for infrastructural developments such as libraries, fire stations and improvements to water schemes.

In rural west Wicklow there is some feeling that Sinn Fein election posters near the Garda dig for the body of one of the IRA murder victims may be counter-productive.

In Arklow, the loss of sitting councillor Mr Tom Honan as a candidate will hurt Fine Gael both at urban council and county council level, while Independent Mr Nicky Kelly is expected to benefit.

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, both visited Wicklow as part of their election campaigns recently - the Taoiseach leaving behind a few pre-election incentives for the voters.

A water scheme for west Wicklow, £300,000 towards a new library in Baltinglass, and a fire station for Arklow were among the promises made. Mr Bruton was, however, more downbeat, not promising much but expressing his thanks to departing stalwarts Senator Shane Ross, Mr Honan and former councillor Mr Vincent Blake.