by Alan Jacques
Sarah Jane Hennelly will stand as an independent candidate for Limerick City in the next general election with the aim of developing Limerick as the central hub of the MidWest region.
A graduate of European Politics and Law from the University of Limerick, the 26 year-old Castletroy woman is entering politics to put the well-being of the citizen and the community at the centre of all public policy and decision making in Irish society, with particular emphasis on Limerick.
Sarah Jane acknowledges that Limerick City is an extremely competitive constituency, nonetheless she maintains that there is a significant amount of people searching for a new approach to politics.
“I am working on a long-term creative vision for our city as the central hub of the Mid-West. We have the unique attributes, skills, resources, and the people to make this happen,” Ms Hennelly told the Limerick Post.
“I would like to help bring these together to make Limerick a more supportive place for small and large businesses by prioritising equality of access for everyone regardless of income to education and training, career opportunities, health and childcare support. We should also be focussing on urban planning that is sympathetic to our rich urban heritage and by developing and extending arts and cultural initiatives,” she explained.
Sarah Jane believes we are not being offered this type of vision in politics at the moment as the main parties are focused primarily on the economy and strategies intended to make Ireland a good place to do business, rarely considering the quality of life of the individual.
“The health of our economy is of course important, but government’s role is to create the environment under which we can empower ourselves and live happier lives in our communities. My policies focus on solutions to key issues facing us such as our health service and our childcare supports and are based on tried and tested initiatives from other countries where policies/strategies place the person as central to everything,” she concluded.
