Editorial: A senior Déise Minister waiting in the wings...
Minister of State Mary Butler pictured with Mayor of Waterford Cllr Jason Murphy at the Waterford count centre at SETU, where she was reelected for a third term to Dáil Éireann.
Word on the street is that there might be white smoke from Leinster House this week in the form of a senior cabinet minister for Waterford.
The Programme for Government has been discussed at length - with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil locally praising it in terms of Waterford, and Sinn Féin damning it as entirely inadequate.
At this early stage of the game, it's whichever version of spin you prefer.
While there are no specifics around Waterford Airport, the mention of the crucial project is hopeful.
It will definitely give the opposition ammunition in the future if we don't see commercial planes flying from a shiny new, extended stretch of tarmacadam at Killowen within five years.
The future of our heart health remains somewhat more in the shadows, with no mention of 24/7 cardiac cover for the South East.
Minister of State in the Department of Health, Mary Butler, skirts around the issue, or rather omission, arguing that the generalised reference does not mean that Waterford will be left short-changed on achieving the critical health cover, which is long-awaited.
Meanwhile, we continue to watch the promised 8am 'til 8pm seven days per week space... and wait... and wait.
Of course, the perceived view is that should Mary Butler clinch a senior ministerial position, our odds on attaining a variety of coveted prizes will rise exponentially. Perhaps, that is why Minister Butler's confidence is building.
Her name has been linked to various senior positions at this stage, but so too have numerous of her colleagues.
Taking a look back in time to our most recent senior ministers - Martin Cullen (from 2002 to 2011) and Austin Deasy (from 1982 to 1987), Cullen got his foot on the first rung of the senior ministerial ladder with Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, while Deasy served as Minister for Agriculture for five years.
Cullen would go on to serve as Minister for Transport, Minister for Social and Family Affairs, and Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism.
He was able to wield each position favourably to Waterford's advantage on numerous fronts. Outer Ring Road, Thomas Francis Meagher Bridge and Bypass, Viking Triangle, SETU's campus at Carriganore... we can continue.
Mary Butler was relentless on Waterford City and County Council when it came to the Comeragh district she represented.
She fought hard to bring Fianna Fáil back in from the cold in Waterford and returned to Dáil Éireann after the economic collapse and dark recession years.
She has endured a steep learning curve, and no shortage of criticism from many fronts, while navigating the hallowed halls of Leinster House.
Waterford hopes that incoming Taoiseach Micheál Martin will be ready to reward the now relatively long-serving Déise deputy, elected to national office on three occasions.
If her, and indeed Waterford's wish is granted, we will be fully expecting our Mary to use all her wiles to deliver.
