MILFORD: A disappointed John O’Donnell said that he and his team will bounce back after a defeat in the Milford LEA.
After a decade in the council, O’Donnell is set to fall to Rathmullan native Pauric McGarvey, also an Independent candidate.
“We are still going to leave here with our heads held high,” O’Donnell tells Donegal Daily in the count centre.
He thanked the electorate who gave him more than 1,300 first preference votes and hundreds more in the preferences.
“We are going to be beat here by a short head but unfortunately it’s just not going to fall our way today,” O’Donnell admitted.
Despite the shock, O’Donnell is immensely proud of his team and is already refocusing on other priorities – his family and his business affairs.
“It’s going to put no big void in my life because I’m a busy man, I’m going to step up to the plate now and become busier,” he said.
O’Donnell adds that he’ll be tying in with Cllr McGarvey to ensure his voters are represented.
“No better man could have got the seat,” O’Donnell said.
On whether he’ll return to politics remains to be seen.
“We’ll bounce back, a week is a long time in politics, we’ll see what happens going into the future,” he said.
