Kilgannon glad to be in race
FORMER COUNCILLOR HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE FIANNA FÁIL TICKET TO CONTEST SLIGO/STRANDHILL IN LOCAL ELECTIONS
THE recent resignation of ex Sligo/Strandhill Fianna Fail councillor Rosaleen O’Grady has helped open the door for the return of a very experienced political campaigner.
Seamus Kilgannon, who has been twice chairman of Sligo County Council in 2007 and 2017, has put his name forward for a return to the political arena.
“I still have the hunger and I want to pay tribute to Rosaleeen O’Grady, who was an outstanding councillor,” he told The Sligo Champion.
But he has not been hanging around as in recent times he has been helping party colleague Edel McSharry with her canvass in his own former bailiwick in Sligo/Drumcliffe.
“I am out of the Council since 2019 but the hunger was always there.” he said.
“I did not intend running again in Sligo-Drumcliffe area because it is a such a big area and when a younger candidate came forward in Edel McSharry I was happy enough to withdraw and let her at it.
“I promised her I would help her and I was out canvassing with her and I brought her to places where I had got a good vote.
“And on the evening when I heard the news about Rosaleen, I was out canvassing.”
When asked what decided him to run in Sligo/ Strandhill he said:
“It would have been pointless running against Rosaleen and Tom MacSharry who are two strong Fianna Fail candidates in Sligo/Strandhill.
“Fianna Fail were never going to run three candidates in that area.”
“As soon as Rosaleen decided to step down I sent in an expression of interest to party headequarters”
He continued: “The party met locally and set a deadline to have your name in.
“I was contacted and did an interview with party headquarters in Dublin.
“I did the interview on Teams and they have a thing called The National Constituency Committee and two of their members interviewed me. “I don’t know who else was interviewed.” “And it was a tough enough interview as I was asked to explain why I thought I could win a seat.
“I got the word on April 11 and I was glad as when I walk out my front door I can canvass to the right and left of me.”
“I live in Rathedmond which is right in the heart of the constituency.
“I hope to have the literature out by Wednesday.”
When asked what he felt were the main issues, Kilgannon said that from his own background in education and training, “we were promoting the whole idea of the Western Distributor Road not only for the road but for the fact the IDA wanted to develop a site out there.
“It’s wonderful to see now the first industrial unit growing up out of the ground.
“That is what is going to keep our young people in Sligo, our graduates and others.
“But the IDA were never going to go there and develop the site until the road was done.”
Mr Kilgannon said the biggest problem in Sligo right now is housing but it is being tackled and there are housing schemes being built.
“It is very encouraging that the government and the local authorities are putting money into developing derelict houses in towns, villages and in the countryside.
“It is great to see it being done.”
He added that, as of now, traffic was a major issue in Sligo.
“We need to get it run more smoothly and certainly the building of the Eastern Bridge would be a great help.
“And it is right in the heart of this constituency and it must be progressed and progressed as fast as possible and it is badly needed.
“If you drive up by Summerhill College at around 8.45am in the morning you will see traffic backing up and a lot of that would be relieved if the Eastern Bridge was done.
“It would be a valuable other route to the ATU and to the hospital.”
Mr Kilgannon added that it was past time for the building of a new garda station.
Mr Kilgannon said he was most encouraged by the number of people who contacted him about running when the vacancy arose.
“But I was delighted to get a chance to run in my own area.”
But he is making no promises about what he would do if elected saying he will do his very best for the people of Sligo/Strandhill.