Scott calls for people to ‘stand together’ as she launches election campaign

Green Party Councillor Lourda Scott was in the Charlesland Community Centre, in Greystones, for a family-friendly event to officially launch her campaign for the Local Elections, which take place on Friday, June 7.

Green Party MEP for Ireland South Grace O’Sullivan was in attendance as guest speaker.

There was a strong showing of support for Cllr Scott, with a mix of young and old from the community coming out to talk and enjoy some baked goods from local businesses.

Ms O’Sullivan spoke about her work in Europe, giving insights into her varied career as an environmental activist as well as her experiences working as a MEP in Brussels.

People also took the opportunity to share their stories of working with Cllr Scott on a number of local issues, testifying to her persistence in resolving issues for them and how her inclusive working style had prompted more action from the Council.

Cllr Scott spoke about her motivations to enter politics and shared some of her experiences as a sitting councillor – and only female councillor – in Greystones.

She referred to some of the successful projects she has brought forward to the community, in the areas of road safety, biodiversity and environmental protection, school places and enhancements in local amenities and accessibility.

“I am truly blown away by the kind words spoken today and the amount of people that came,” Cllr Scott said.

“As a councillor you are often on your own so it’s wonderful to feel the support in the room for the work I have been doing in the last five years. I have worked hard to bring improvements to our community and want to keep doing this work. I’m a big believer in finding a solution and getting on with fixing the problem.

“I’ve learned that persistence is key in getting results and I am very persistent. Apart from seeing issues getting resolved, one of the best things about the last term has been meeting all of the incredible people we have in the community.

“We live in a world where words of hate and division seem to be getting louder and amplified on social media. We need to stand together and keep our communities strong and welcoming places, no matter where you come from.

“I really believe that who we elect to represent the place where we live has a massive role to play in that. Now more than ever we have to keep pushing for environmental causes and now more than ever we have to keep fighting for social justice. And that fight has to be underpinned by compassion. I really want to bring these values to my work in the Council for another term,” she concluded.