Council veteran Fitzgerald to run in local elections

Independent councillor Brian Fitzgerald has announced he is to run in the forthcoming local elections so that he can “continue to deal with the many challenges facing Co Meath”.

The veteran councillor, a former TD and retired trade union official, will be standing in his 13th election – eight local elections and five General Elections.

He was Cathaoirleach of the county council on three occasions and is currently the Cathaoirleach of Ratoath Municipal District.

He said he had taken a decision to run in this year’s local election following consultation with his family. “I feel I have a lot to offer in tackling all the issues affecting Meath and that’s why I’m putting myself before the people once again”.

He said the county council must be allowed to provide more zoned land for residential purposes to ensure that houses would be more affordable and available to all income levels.

"It is vital that the Government allow local councils to move away from high-density apartments and replace them with traditional family homes."

Meanwhile Paul Nolan has been selected to run for the Social Democrats in the Ashbourne Municipal District. Having lived in Ashbourne for 25 years, he is a long-time activist and volunteer in his local community; he stood as an independent candidate in the 2014 local elections and as a Social Democrat in 2019 and was involved in the local Right2Water campaign.