At the Social Democrats Selection Convention for the Waterford constituency, held recently on Zoom, Cllr Mary Roche was officially selected to contest the next General Election.
Cllr Roche was nominated by David Kane and seconded by Mark Khan. As the selection convention was uncontested, Cllr Roche was deemed to be selected by chair of the convention, Róisín Shorthall, TD.
The Social Democrats are still quite a new party and recently contested Local Elections in Waterford for the first time. Now, the party is taking the next step locally to contest the General Election, which we suspect will be this year also.
Mary Roche is an incredibly strong candidate for the Social Democrats. An experienced ambassador for Waterford, with twenty-four years as a councillor, she is a brave, articulate and fierce local representative. Ireland needs a party like the Social Democrats and candidates like Mary now more than ever.
Following her selection, Cllr Roche said: “I held onto my independence for 20 years and valued it greatly but I do think if you want to achieve anything in politics you need to be part of a team. Róisín [Shorthall] and Catherine [Murphy] were a huge inspiration for me – their sincerity and tenacity were a huge reason why I joined the party. There are things I think we need to do as a party to make a fairer Ireland, so I’ll give a fair fight for a Social Democrats seat in Waterford.”
Speaking briefly after Cllr Roche’s selection, Róisín Shorthall, TD said: “I have no doubt Mary will be an excellent candidate. She is a long standing and well regarded councillor in Waterford. I always remember standing at Reginald’s Tower, posing for photos, and I was struck by the number of car horns – so I know how well regarded you are, and I am delighted you’re a candidate! I wish you the best of luck!”
Cllr Roche will officially launch her campaign in the coming weeks.
