SINN Féin have selected Jim Hickey to contest the Cappamore/ Kilmallock ward in next May’s local elections with a mission statement to improve life in rural areas.
Mr Hickey, who is a life long resident of Ballylanders, has a long track record of community activism and is chairperson of Glenroe GAA Club, and a volunteer director of Ballylanders Community Employment Scheme. He is running on a platform of challenging the ongoing failure of Limerick City and County Council to prioritise hard-pressed rural communities.
“Our towns and villages suffer from rural crime, poor transport, and a lack of investment in key facilities like youth clubs and childcare. The so-called recovery has made no difference in rural County Limerick where we continue to see services like post offices and Garda stations reduced or withdrawn. Rural Limerick can’t afford another five years of more of the same,” he said.
A member of Sinn Fein for a long number of years, Mr Hickey previously ran as an Independent in the 2009 local elections. He will be putting forward positive proposals to improve life in the county.
“I will be a strong new voice on the local policing board demanding increased Garda resources. I will also be calling for increased bus services and a more innovative approach to rural transport, and in particular use of tax incentives for publicans who use their own transport to bring customers home.
“I’ll also be campaigning for resources to tackle the waiting times for driving tests and the cost of car insurance. Young people need the State to assist them in getting around our county instead of forcing them to move to the big urban centres,” he concluded.
