28 June 2001 Edition

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Sinn Féin challenge for Mayor of Dublin

Sinn Féin is launching Councillor Christy Burke's campaign for Mayor of Dublin with the distribution of a full-colour manifesto and an appeal from Gerry Adams to 30,000 homes in the capital.

``The Mayor of the capital city and the biggest local authority anywhere in Ireland should be an active, campaigning voice, a catalyst for change in a fast-changing city - not some token ceremonial figurehead.

``As the biggest council anywhere on the island, Dublin City Council should be making a bigger impact - we should be making long-term plans for the development of the city and its services; we should be ensuring that our voice as representatives of the capital city are heard in government.

``We also need to try and rebuild people's confidence in local government and politics in general through a more open, transparent and democratically accountable political system that listens to, consults and works not just for but with the people it is supposed to represent.

``To make all of this a reality I am supporting the call for the direct election of the Mayor of Dublin.

``We are also calling for the establishment for a number of Mayoral Task Forces - involving key actors from local government, sectoral and community interests - to act as engines for action and change in major policy areas affecting the lives of people in Dublin such as transport, housing, childcare, health, crime and anti-social behaviour and environment and waste management.

``It is important that Sinn Féin sets out a radical republican and labour agenda for the term of the next Mayor because Ruairí Quinn's Labour Party has handed the job of Mayor to Fianna Fáil as part of a pact. We believe that Dublin deserves better.''


An Phoblacht
44 Parnell Sq.
Dublin 1
Ireland