Young Indie is given a vote of confidence
Xander (23) gets his P&K Council seat
It was a significant success for Xander McDade when he secured his place as a councillor for Ward 4 Highland in the Perth and Kinross Council local government elections last week.
The 23 year-old ran as an independent and was one of only three outside the main political parties to be elected.
Getting in with 449 votes in the first count and elected at the fifth stage, the part-time student took the third seat for the ward – vacated by Kate Howie – getting roughly a quarter of what Conservative group leader Ian Campbell polled and half that of the second member, re-elected SNP man, Mike Williamson.
At Friday’s count, Xander said on realising he was in: “It was a tight race. Pretty close. I was very pleased.”
He added: “It’s interesting, the council is changing, and there will be a lot more.
“I’ve noticed a lot of dissatisfaction, people wanting the politicians to do something.”
Now sworn in and the youngest councillor to serve at 2 High Street, Pitlochry schooled Xander shows the keenness to take up his Highland ward’s interests that has been his promise for several years - despite until now being side-stepped for being “too young”.
When aged just 18, he first got in as a community councillor for Pitlochry and Moulin in 2011.
Then he made his first bid to be the local representative for Highland Ward at the council elections of 2012, losing in the final round to Mike Williamson.
He campaigned on development in Pitlochry town centre, the Aberfeldy Birks Hydro proposal and protecting local education access.
Then in May 2015, Xander had a crack at gaining the UK Parliamentary seat for Perth and North Perthshire, running and losing against current Perth and North Perthshire Westminster candidate Pete Wishart.
Studying History and Politics, he was student president at Perth College for 2012-13 before transferring to Dundee University where he continues to study management part-time.
Day to day, Xander works in the a deli on Pitlochry High Street.
Ward 4 Highland councillors, from left, Independent Xander McDade, Conservative Ian Campbell and SNP Mike Williamson