LIMERICK business owner, Fionán Coughlan, has announced his candidacy for Limerick’s Directly Elected Mayor 2021 in the following statement:
“I am a business owner in Limerick’s Milk Market and hold a degree in International Business from University of Limerick. Prior to setting up my own business in December 2020, I worked for my father in The Edge Clothing.
I am likely to be one of the youngest mayoral candidates at 25 years of age. I hope to demonstrate to the public that electing a younger Mayor, with creative vision, can be an advantage when trying to forge new opportunities from the challenging uncertainties we are facing at present.
As a business owner and someone involved in local voluntary and community-based groups, one of my core objectives will be to create a thriving local economy where the graduates from our third level institutions can live and work.
I am running for Mayor as I am deeply concerned with the current state of Local Government in Ireland, and believe that our representative party system needs to be reformed. Some of my ideas and policy proposals are available on my website (restory .ie).
In essence, Limerick’s D.E.M offers an innovative platform to promote sustainable regional development in Limerick and the Midwest. Economic success has to be complemented by a high standard of living for all people in Limerick.
Connectivity between community groups in the city and county need to be high on the agenda and there is a real opportunity to learn from social entrepreneurship such as Ballyhoura CLG, which has been very successful in shaping and developing the rural economy.
I believe Limerick’s greatest advantage is its people. Our County Council has operated in a system that has enabled it to ignore the will of the people. There is very little oversight, accountability or transparency concerning Executive decisions being made.
Executive Power in Limerick Council must begin to be held to account by the public. As Mayor, improving accountability, transparency and public participation will be a priority .
Local politics has often been a source of division in our county. We only have to look at the recent successes of our Senior Hurling team to know what it means to be united as one toward a shared goal.
Let’s take this opportunity to reform Local Government and elect a Directly Elected Mayor who will be the vehicle to unite our people. A new resurgence of civic pride has been born during the pandemic and now more people are looking to play an active role in their communities.
It is my promise to do everything within my power as Mayor to win back greater levels of autonomy and self-determination for our communities and local businesses.
The people ought to be the ones who decide how their future unfolds.
It is my promise to do everything within my power as Mayor to win back greater levels of autonomy and self-determination for our communities and local businesses. The people ought to be the ones who decide how their future unfolds.
Let’s Lift Limerick!”
More details can be found at restory.ie , launching Friday, March 26th.
