Labour selects Anne and Ian for local elections
LABOUR’S former TD Anne Ferris and local area representative Ian McGahon have been selected to contest the local elections next year.
The Labour Party recently held their selection convention for May’s election, and selected Ms Ferris for the Bray East electoral area, and Mr McGahon for Bray West.
The well-attended convention was chaired by the Wicklow Labour chairperson John Kenna and also in attendance were Jack O’Connor, national chairperson and General Election candidate for Wicklow, and Brian McDowell, General Secretary of the Labour Party.
Anne Ferris said she was thrilled to have been selected.
‘Life is full of twists and turns,’ she said. ‘When I lost my Dáil seat a couple of years ago, I wasn’t sure what my future held and so I made the decision to enrol in a three-year degree course in UCD studying History and English. However, during this time I was acutely aware of issues in the town that did not seem to be addressed adequately by our local council.
‘Many local residents complain that there seems to be a disconnect between them and the elected councillors,’ said the former TD.
‘ The Labour Party lost its public represent- atives at the last Local Elections in 2014 and I lost my own seat at the General Election in 2016. Since then, we have had no voice with which to represent the people of Bray.
‘ I certainly acknowledge that the coalition government made senseless decisions that adversely affected people’s lives and we in the Labour Party unwisely supported these decisions. We were punished at the time by the electorate and perhaps rightly so. But I honestly believe we have learned from our mistakes.
‘I would now dearly love to be given the opportunity to be re-elected to Wicklow County Council and to once again represent the people of Bray. I believe it is important for local residents to have access to their local councillors and to make sure their views are heard loud and clear. I want to be that loud, clear voice again on Wicklow County Council and I would really appreciate the support of the people of Bray.’
Meanwhile, Wicklow Labour Party general election candidate Jack O’Connor was re-elected as chairperson of the Labour Party at their 70th National Conference last weekend.
Speaking after his re-election Mr O’Connor said: ‘I believe the main focus of the Labour Party should be: solve the housing crisis, legislate for full Collective Bargaining Rights for all workers and take real action on protecting the Environment.’