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Bandon Flood Group member in Dáil race

January 27th, 2016 11:50 AM

By Kieran O'Mahony

Gillian Powell from Bandon has declared herself as an independent Dáil candidate in the forthcoming election.

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Gillian Powell of the Bandon Flood Group has confirmed that she will contest a seat in the Cork South West constituency for the forthcoming General Election. 

GILLIAN Powell of the Bandon Flood Group has confirmed that she will contest a seat in the Cork South West constituency for the forthcoming General Election. 

Having been vocal about the lack of any progress with the Bandon Flood Relief Scheme, the married mother-of-five and owner of The Haven Montessori School in the town told The Southern Star this week that she’s ‘going to give it a good shot.’

‘I’m putting myself forward as a independent candidate and after the pain and disappointment of the floods, I want to give hope and a promise of change for the people of Bandon,’ she said.

‘I feel this is one way of getting the message across to our government that we’re not going away. 

‘I’m getting ready to go out on the streets and meet the people and see what their concerns are,’ she said.

Gillian was critical of the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis at the weekend where she said the issue of flooding wasn’t central to leader Micheál Martin’s speech and she also said the government has done nothing about the issue of flood insurance for homes and businesses. ‘I’m going to keep this issue central to my campaign,’ she vowed.

Gillian will be up against Fianna Fáil Cllr Margaret Murphy O’Mahony, Sinn Féin Cllr Rachel McCarthy, independent Cllrs Alan Coleman and Cllr Michael Collins, Fine Gael TDs Jim Daly and Noel Harrington, independent candidate Fiona O’Leary and Green Party candidate Johnny O’Mahony, who will all be hoping to secure one of the three seats in the Cork South West constituency.

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