Kathleen Lynch steps back for new generation in Cork North Central
Cllr John Maher will seek the Labour nomination for Cork North Central.
Kathleen Lynch has announced that she will not put her name forward for selection as the Labour Party candidate in the Cork North Central by-election, and will be supporting Cllr John Maher as the Labour standard bearer.
Kathleen Lynch served as a TD for Cork North-Central from 1994 to 1997, and 2002 to 2016, and most recently was Minister of State for Primary Care, Mental Health and Disability from 2011 to 2016. In her time as Minister she led the rollout of A Vision for Change, and every year fought for the allocation of frontline resources in the Budget for better mental health services. On disability, she put in place much of the legislative framework required for the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2013.
In her role as Minister of State for Equality she drove the implementation of gender quotas on State Boards, and in Primary Care she ensured the rollout of free GP care for children under the age of 6, a policy that has since stalled under FG.
Kathleen said:
“It has been a great honour to serve the people of Cork over many years, and since 2016 I have continued to work with Labour members and supporters to rebuild our Party presence.
“However, following the successful election of Cllr John Maher to Cork City Council in May, this is the right time now for me to take a step back, and allow a new generation to put their name forward in the by-election.
“I have been privileged to work with John Maher over the last three years, He is a public representative of principal and great commitment with a proven ability to win. As a first time candidate, John polled 1,345 first preference votes in the competitive Cork City North East electoral area. I have no doubt he will be a formidable candidate in the by election and I will be asking the voters of Cork North Central to entrust him with their vote.
“While I might be stepping back as a candidate I will continue to work with Labour members and supporters to rebuild our Party and elect new Labour representatives.”
Cllr John Maher said:
“The people of Cork and the Labour Party owe a deep debt of gratitude to Kathleen Lynch for her decades of public service.
“I have worked closely with Kathleen for many years and I will continue to do so in her role as a member of the party. I put myself before the people in May offering a new vision of Cork City and it is is one I want to put forward on behalf of all the people in Cork North Central in Dáil Éireann.
“We do not have adequate representation in the Oireachtas discussing the issues affecting people every day.
“One TD has hightailed it to Europe with a mandate and one TD has hightailed it to Europe without one. The people of Cork North Central deserve better. They need better. They need to have their issues addressed by Government now, not down the line.
“I want to be the voice of all the people of Cork North Central whether they are the have-nots or the have-something. We deserve better and I want be the representative that delivers that.”