Workers' Party councillors in Waterford have denied the party has been damaged by the surprise resignation of a senior official in the wake of its successful election campaign in the city.
The party, which has maintained a strong presence in Waterford since the split which led to the formation of Democratic Left, took three of the 15 seats on the city council, one more than Labour and the same number as Fine Gael.
But its success was overshadowed by the resignation of the party's local public relations officer, Mr Jim Stokes, who claimed election literature he had written for the campaign had been edited without his knowledge.
In a statement issued on Workers' Party headed notepaper, Mr Stokes pointedly congratulated two of the successful candidates, Mr Martin O'Regan and Mr Davy Walsh, who both held their seats, but made no mention of Mr John Halligan, who secured the party's third seat.
Any suggestion of a split in the party, however, was dismissed by Cllrs Walsh and Halligan and the party's director of elections, Mr Mick Dunphy.
Mr Dunphy also denied there was anything underhand about the way election material "drafted" by Mr Stokes, who had been the party's press officer for 12 years, was edited. Everyone, from Mr Stokes to the party's ardchomhairle, had had an input.
"No one can claim that what they write is infallible or should be in tablets of stone," he said.
Mr Stokes's wife, Ms Olga Redmond-Stokes, was a candidate in the election and had been expected to challenge strongly for a seat. She received a disappointing 138 first preference votes, however, and was eliminated on the third count.
