Fitzer buoyed by support
Peter Fitzpatrick may well be one of the most recognisable faces on the campaign trail in Louth.
Political reputation aside, he remains a familiar face as a former Louth GAA county manager, and his work on the proposed new county stadium is an easy talking point on the canvass in Dundalk.
Pounding the pavement along Mulholland Avenue, he is hoping voters will return him this time as an Independent TD.
‘Fitzer number one!’ he says as an opening gambit, a nickname which clearly resonates with anyone he meets.
Ciaran Sheridan pledges to answer his call, adding ‘I’ll give Peter my vote!’
‘Dundalk needs an independent voice,’ he says, admitting that he has a battle on his hands to become the first Independent TD elected to represent Louth.
Residents of the, which is at the very heart of the town, had a number of key issues they appealed to him to address.
Brid McArdle explained that environmental issues were a real concern in urban areas, and in Mullholland Avenue ‘cars idling’ are she says affecting air quality.
‘I agree,’ says Peter. ‘I do a bit of running myself, and I know it can be bad in the town centre.’
Pledging to raise the issue, if elected, he says that environmental issues are now among the concerns being raised by people on the doorsteps.
On Park Street, he meets a group of supporters from the ‘Save Our Homeless Dundalk’ campaign, who have publicly declared their backing for Peter Fitzpatrick.
Sonya Van Kalkeren, who has been at the heart of the homelessness action group, pledged her support for ‘Fitzer’ saying that he had personally helped ‘many people in need.’
She says he has been ‘an incredible support’ from helping to get people on treatment programmes, to securing accommodation for people with nowhere to spend the night.
Peter adds that he was ‘shocked’ by the homelessness crisis in Dundalk, saying that he worked to help those who came to him seeking help.
He added that he is ‘grateful too to Louth County Council’ for their work in finding emergency accommodation when it is needed.
His focus, he adds, if re-elected, is to place a greater emphasis on vacant houses.
‘I have come across so many during the campaign, especially in Dundalk, We need to look at what can be done to put these into use.’