FF councillor kicks off his election drive

FIANNA Fail’s Malcolm Byrne has set out his stall early for the next General Election despite the fact that the current Government still has another four years in power.

The North Wexford councillor said that he has decided once again to seek a nomination from the party to contest the next election. ‘Having come close a year ago, I was very disappointed at not succeeding but have been buoyed by the level of support and the encouragement of many to ‘give it another shot’.

‘If the members of the party are kind enough to nominate me again, I will be deeply honoured to campaign to win that second seat on behalf of the party.’

Cllr Byrne said that ‘Fianna Fáil members in Wexford were disappointed that despite having over 3,000 votes more than Fine Gael, the party only took one seat and Fine Gael took two. A need for more effective vote management has been identified.

‘I have been very grateful for the backing that I received from many members of the party and also for the public and for the continued assistance and support of my local Council colleagues, Pip Breen and Joe Sullivan.

‘Without the help of all who worked on the campaign last year, we would not have done so well, particularly in polling the highest number of votes in the Gorey District. Joe was a skilled campaign manager, keeping things on schedule and making sure all bills were paid.’

Cllr Byrne said that having failed in his campaign last year he had been disheartened but said his love of politics won through.

‘I went through a depressing period last Summer after the election and had to focus on my day job career but my motivation to run is back and I still see politics as an effective way of changing society for the better.

While we do not expect an election until next year, I think it important to clearly signal that if given the chance, I would like to run again and to represent the people of Co. Wexford.’

He also said that he welcomes any suggestions on issues he should address.