French confirms he will contest local elections as an independent
Trim councillor Noel French has left the Fine Gael party and intends to contest next year's local election as an independent candidate.
In recent months Cllr French indicated that he was considering the move and in a post on Facebook last week, he confirmed he had made his decision to leave the party.
"Ok, so how do I put this: I am now an independent councillor as I have left the party to which I belonged. Not an easy decision. It will allow me more freedom to work more closely with people of other and no party affiliations.
“It will mean I do not have a support network at local or national level. It means I do not have to play politics as much which I am not good at. I will not have any support for canvassing or for elections.
“I think I have been very fair to the party and given them time to select a new party candidate for Trim and allow that person to get a chance to raise their profile locally.
Regarding next year's local elections and whether he would be running, in the post he said that “more than likely yes” he would be running and as an independent.
“And that puts the fear of God into me - how am I going to do that on my own. Politics is not an easy life and sometimes I feel like just throwing it there and walking away - so far I have stopped myself doing that. I do enjoy trying to help people and communities and I like to think I have a positive influence on things. And to be honest it is not hard work."
Cllr French, a well known historian and writer, was first co-opted to the then Trim Town Council in 2013 as a Fine Gael councillor, and elected to Meath Co Council the following year.
In the 2019 elections, he achieved the highest vote ever of a councillor in Meath when he polled just 2,954 votes and achieved almost double the quota. He was added to the Fine Gael ticket for the General Election the following year where he achieved just over seven per cent of the vote with deputies Johnny Guirke (Sinn Féin), Peadar Tóibín (Aontú) and party colleague Damien English being elected on that occasion.
He is currently Cathaoirleach of Trim Municipal District for the fourth time and will continue to hold that office.
Speaking to the Meath Chronicle, Cllr French said it had not been an easy decision to go independent but he felt it was the right one for him.
"There are advantages and disadvantages with it and I had to come to a decision to finalise it. I have decided to resign from the party and serve out the rest of my term as an independent."
Regarding next year's election he said he would probably be running and that it would be as an independent.