Heart surgery won’t hold me back - Morris
Speaking at his election launch on Friday last, Cllr Seamie Morris said the experience he has gained in his two decades serving as a councillor would be crucial in driving his native town of Nenagh and the entire district ahead over the coming five years.
Despite undergoing recent major heart surgery, Cllr Morris said people might think it was a rest he should be taking. “But that's not me, I love helping people,” he told the attendance at his launch in the Hibernian Inn in Pearse Street.
“I love seeing projects which benefit the area come to fruition. I love being the one who asks the hard questions and I love being the one who will go where no other councillor will go,” Morris boldly declared.
He said local government in the Nenagh district was losing vastly experienced personnel with the recent retirement of the area manager Marcus O’Connor and the imminent retirements of the CEO of the council Joe MacGrath, a Nenagh native, and long serving councillor Hughie McGrath. He stressed it was now vital that there were experienced councillors like him to ensure the area got its fair share and to guide the agenda for the town in the coming years.
“With so many multi-million-euro projects at various stages in the pipeline, it is important that an experienced hand is there to see them to fruition,” said Morris.
PLANNED PROJECTS
Planned projects that had to be seen through by experienced hands included the transformation of the Martyrs Road area of the town as well as the upgrade to the historic and cultural quarter and housing developments due to come on stream.
There were also big plans for Lisbunny Industrial Estate and for water sports development at Dromineer as well as a greenway along the Nenagh River.
As an Independent candidate he urged voters to support him, saying a neo-liberal approach taken by the established political parties had resulted in tens of thousands of young people leaving the country due to the lack of housing.
“The electorate gave the neo-liberal agenda a hammering in the two recent referendums and we must continue this revolution in the local elections,” he said.
HEALTH SECTOR
Because of that agenda Nenagh was now faced with the “theft” of it newly built community nursing home, which is to be privatised as a step-down facility for UHL.
Continuing on the health theme, Cllr Morris said: “I have been the only elected representative who has consistently questioned the HSE and the governments who have kept reconfiguration in place. . .I continue to work with Nenagh Needs its A & E and the Mid-West campaign to smash reconfiguration in the Mid-West.”
SHANNON WATER
He said he was the only public representative who is opposed to the plan to pump water from the Shannon to Dublin. “Bring the jobs to the water,” was the alternative strategy he urged. “We must have balanced regional development of the country because the overgrowth of Dublin is not healthy for the Mid-West. I work with the Shannon Protection Alliance to protect our natural resources.”
LACK OF HOUSING
Cllr Morris said the lack of housing was one of the biggest issues, a problem that was created by successive Government who had allowed vulture funds to sweep up tens of thousands of units, driving up the cost of housing and rent while paying no tax in this country.
“It is no wonder tens of thousands of our young people are leaving the country, and those that are staying are seriously delaying having children,” he declared, adding he was working hard to deliver extra houses in Nenagh.
“I have been successful in getting Tipperary County Council to include Nenagh as one of the towns for affordable housing schemes.”
Cllr Morris said he had played a vital role over the years in ensuring the clubs and organisations in the Nenagh District got their share of local government supports and would continue to make sure that such organisations were supported going forward.
“I ask for your Number 1 vote on June 7. Vote for experience. Vote Morris Number 1,” he urged.