Councillor Paul O’Brien set to contest the General Election for Labour
COUNCILLOR Paul O’Brien has replaced veteran Trade Unionist Jack O’Connor as the Labour Party General Election candidate for County Wicklow.
The decision was made by the Labour Party Constituency Executive at a recent meeting having been proposed by Mr O’Connor himself. Cllr O’Brien will be seeking nomination at a selection convention.
Cllr O’Brien was elected to Wicklow Municipal District and Wicklow County Council at the Local Elections in May.
Being selected to contest the General Election was a special moment for the Wicklow town native.
‘It was a very proud moment for me and my family. I have been a Liam Kavanagh supporter since I was young so to follow in his footsteps is a very big deal. Liam was the person who actually got me registered to vote when I was only 18. My whole family are steeped in the red of Labour,’ he said.
‘I would like to thank Jack for his honesty in giving me this opportunity. I think he helped to reinvigorate a lot of Wicklow interest in the Labour party and I look forward to working with him in the future.
‘While this opportunity is coming a lot sooner than I had expected, I could also not let it pass me by. I will continue to work as hard as I can as a Councillor for all the people in the constituency. However, I firmly believe that Wicklow town, the surrounding areas and indeed the south east of our county have suffered from the absence of a locally-based TD since Liam Kavanagh’s time in the Dail. On saying that, if I am elected, I intend to represent the entire county to the best of my ability.’
Labour polled more than nine per cent of first preference votes in the local elections, doubling the party performance in 2014 and 2016.
Mr O’Connor is credited with playing a major role in the progress made locally by the party. However, he was of the view that the electorate should have the choice of a candidate from the county who has already been endorsed at the ballot box.
‘Paul has demonstrated enormous commitment and strength of character both in his personal life and in the political and community area,’ said Mr O’Connor. ‘Having suffered defeat in 2014 he stuck with the idea of building a real Labour Party in Wicklow, despite disagreeing with many of the decisions of the last Government. Like myself, he considers the endless division among those on the Left as completely counter productive.
‘He is an experienced and a skilled representative, serving among other things as the national President of the Irish Soccer Referees Society and is a strong community person. He will represent the people of Co Wicklow excellently in Dail Eireann, if they choose to elect him,’ said Mr O’Connor.