Roads are crumbling... we need to rebuild now
Tory talks transport as race on to replace Jeane Freeman
Knock down and rebuild poor housing and upgrade the A70 and A77.
That is the message from Conservative MSP candidate Sharon Dowey hoping to be elected in Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley.
The mum- of- three who grew up in Maybole described the UK as a “big family” and called for better transport routes to boost trade.
The Morrisons operations manager said: “I have a bond with Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley. I was born and grew up there.
“I started work at 14 in a chippy in Maybole. I joined Safeway at 16. I have been there since and worked my way up.”
The area’s current SNP MSP is health secretary Jeane Freeman who plans to stand down at the next election.
Sharon, who turned 50 during lockdown, said the campaign race for Holyrood will be like no other.
She said: “You can’t knock on doors - it is going to be a different campaign all together.
“If elected I would be there to represent everybody, find out what their issues are and solve them.”
Commenting on the state of the area’s main roads, she said: “Businesses can grow and build if we improve the infrastructure such as the A77.
“Parts of the A77 are like a third world road and there are too many accidents. The A70 to Cumnock needs improvement.”
Lack of decent homes is another problem according to Sharon.
She said: “Some of the homes in the villages are in desperate need of being updated.
“Some are empty. They need to
be knocked down and rebuilt.”
Sharon, who now lives in Ayr, got involved in politics during the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum.
She said: “I always think we are better together. We have been entwined for so many years.
“It is a big family. We are friends and neighbours and we look out for each other. It doesn’t matter where you come from.
She added: “The SNP are divisive. You need to vote Conservative and Unionist to get the SNP out and start the country moving forward again.”
Sharon is married to South
Ayrshire councillor and local Conservative leader, Martin Dowey.
Senior councillor Elena Whitham is hotly tipped to be defending the seat for the SNP next May.
The mum- of- two seeks to be nominated as the Nationalist candidate.
Councillor Whitham wi l l undergo an SNP selection process first before she becomes the party’s choice for the fight to retain the seat in the former mining territory.
The 46- year- old was first elected in 2015 to East Ayrshire Council after MP Alan Brown resigned to go to Westminster.
Councillor Whitham, depute leader of East Ayrshire Council, said: “Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley needs another strong leader at this critical juncture and I am that woman.
“It would be an honour and a privilege to serve such a wonderfully beautiful and diverse corner of Scotland.”
Councillor Whitham was involved in the Ayrshire Growth Deal negotiations and said she understands how “crucial inclusive growth is for the villages of Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley.”
The former Women’s Aid worker added: “If selected and elected, I will be a hard- working campaigning MSP who puts equality of connectivity and opportunity at the heart of my work.
“I want every part of Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley to be consulted and considered as we emerge from the current pandemic and face the huge challenges of Brexit.”
She added: “My family links reach into every corner of the constituency with my papa being born in Colmonell to my dad spending his first few years in the estate of Montgomery Castle near Tarbolton where his parents were head gardener and housekeeper. My family were miners in Muirkirk and agricultural workers at many local farms from Sorn to Coylton.”
The Newmilns politician is the wellbeing spokesperson for local government organisation COSLA.
She also co- chairs the homelessness prevention and strategy group with housing minister Kevin Stewart.