Johnny Mythen confirmed as by- election candidate for Sinn Féin
Former Sinn Fein councillor in Enniscorthy, Johnny Mythen, is to run in next month’s Wexford by-election having been selected unanimously at a party event in the COurtyard in Ferns.
There was a buzz of anticipation and excitement emanating from the meeting as the party faithful feel they have a good chance of success when the by-election takes place next month.
The selection meeting was well attended and among those present were Wicklow TD, John Brady, and many past and present Sinn Fein councillors including current local authority members, Fionntán Ó Suilleabhán and Tom Forde, and former councillors, Anthony Kelly, Marie Doyle, and Mick Roche.
In 2016, Mr Mythen shocked the local and national political establishment when he came within 31 votes of knocking out the sitting Fine Gael party whip and local Government minister from Dáil Éireann.
A former Leas Cathaoirleach of Enniscorthy Town Council, Mr Mythen was elected to Wexford County Council in 2014.
A former ESB worker he is also former member of the UNITE trade union national negotiating team.
In accepting his nomination, Mr Mythen said his selection was not about him personally.
‘This is not about me – it’s about you,’ he told those in attendance.
‘If we want change, no one else can do it,’ he added.
‘It’s the common people who will deliver a free Ireland for all.’
He highlighted that one-in-four TDs are landlords while one-intwo are millionaires before asking the attendees: ‘Who do you think they are going to write the laws to favour?’
He said voting for Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil is like voting for an axe ‘because it thinks that because the handle is made of wood, it must be on the forest’s side.’
Speaking at the meeting Deputy Brady said the prospect of a united Ireland was closer than it has been for generations.
‘It’s within our grasp and we must not let it slip away,’ he said.
Mr Mythen was formally proposed by former Enniscorthy Town Councillor, Noirin Sheridan, and seconded by former New Ross County Councillor, Oisín O’Connell.
Of his candidacy he said: ‘We are different from other parties. We do as we say. We work against corruption. We stand for unity, equality, and the common good. We stand proudly, shoulder-to-shoulder with young and old to build a better country where citizens’ needs and prosperity are at the heart of decision-making’.
If elected he said he will ‘represent my county with pride and carry out my civic duties to fulfil the wishes and needs of all the people to the best of my ability’.
If elected to Dail Eireann he said some of the specific points he will focus attention on will include housing, youth mental health services, employment, the cut in road budgets, fly-tipping, and infrastructure such as an ‘imaginative’ development of Rosslare Port.
He also pledged to use his campaign to highlight what he called the ‘scandal of insurance companies scamming the public.’
With regard to housing Mr Mythen pledged to focus on ‘workable solutions here and now’ and that he hold the IDA’s ‘feet to the fire’ if it did not deliver enough jobs for Wexford.
He said that in addition to stringent by-laws on fly-tipping, he would also argue for greater state-supported options to ‘re-use, reduce and recycle’ waste.
During his time on the local authority he said he gained valuable, pragmatic experience in dealing with officials, as an elected member of sub-committees for Mental Health and Rosslare Port in addition to his role on the Strategic Policy Committee for Economic Development.
Mr Mythen, along with his wife, Barbara, has lived together in Enniscorthy for the past 21 years and said his family inspires him to work for a fair and equal future for everyone.