RABHARTA’S mayoral candidate for the upcoming elections in June, Dr Laura Keyes, has criticised a government advertisement campaign for the historic mayoral role and called for a rethink of the approach to informing people about the upcoming vote.
Speaking from the campaign trail this week, Dr Keyes said that “the government ad campaign for mayor of Limerick City and County is completely ineffective and a waste of public money”.
“There is a tone-deaf focus on ‘making history’ rather than addressing the information deficit on the competences of the mayor created by rushed legislation earlier this year.”
Dr Keyes, a mayoral candidate for Rabharta, an eco-socialist political party, maintains that, as a candidate, she doesn’t see the creation of the role as an “historic event” but rather an enormous opportunity to address problems faced by people in Limerick.
“The mayor has been given statutory powers which in the right hands can broker solutions to major issues such as overcrowding at UHL, and to address inter-agency inaction on housing, climate, and public transport,” she said.
“The government ad campaign feels ill-thought out at best and at worst makes a mockery of people’s agency as voters and residents of Limerick.
“Following the unsuccessful referendums in March, it seems like quite a desperate attempt to procure engagement. I would have expected the government ad campaign to make up for its previously poor provision of information about what the role of mayor is about.
“Rather than exhorting people to ‘make history’ by simply voting, Limerick’s citizens need to be made aware that the mayor is a serious role and people are facing serious problems that a mayor can address. The ad campaign should reflect this,” she said.
“I would urge the government to rethink how it engages with the public on the mayoral election.”
