Independent councillor John O’Heney has set out the four pillars of his campaign in the upcoming General election. The councillor was first elected to Tipperary County Council in June of this year and is now targeting a seat in the South Tipperary constituency. The former Tipperary constituency, returning 5 TDs, is being changed for the next election with both south and north Tipperary to return 3 TDs. Due to population increase the county is allocated an extra TD.
Cllr O’Heney expects that Rural Independent TD Mattie McGrath and Sinn Fein TD Martin Browne will be returned and feels he is a contender for the “new” third seat. If elected Mr O’Heney says he will have to look at the Dáil makeup and decide who he will align with. The four areas of focus are – supporting small and medium enterprises, rural affairs including rural isolation, connectivity, and agriculture, social issues such as housing and anti- social behaviour and finally a campaign to put South Tipperary on the National Agenda to make it a destination for Tourism both domestic and international.
The Taoiseach Simon Harris continues to say that the government will run until the end of it’s term in Spring but most analysts and Mr O’Heney expect the election to be called for a date in November. In addition to the sitting TDs, former TD Seamus Healy(Workers Unemployed Action Group), Cllr Michael Murphy Fine Gael and Cllr Michael Brennan Labour have also declared that they will contest the next General Election.
