A Mayo election hopeful has announced his withdrawal from next year’s local elections.
In August, Sinn Féin announced that Tony Geraghty would be contesting the Castlebar area as part of a two-candidate strategy in the district. However, Mr Geraghty has stated that he will now be withdrawing his name from the ballot paper. He explained his reasoning in a post on social media.
“Unfortunately, I am withdrawing my candidacy from the election campaign for Mayo County Council. This decision has not been made lightly, and I would like to explain my reasons for doing so. It has been an incredible honour to have been selected by the Sinn Féin membership to run for Mayo County Council.
“I am deeply committed to the values of Sinn Féin, of equality, fair play and integrity. However, I am also heavily involved in preparations for the next general elections for our party. Regrettably, it has become evident that I cannot give the commitment to the local election campaign that it deserves,” said Mr Geraghty.
He said he feels the right decision is to bow out from the campaign.
“At this time, I feel that I would be unable to meet these expectations while also fulfilling my responsibilities in preparing for the general elections, the time commitments of a young family, and work demands.
“I want to take this opportunity to express my wholehearted support for our Castlebar LEA candidate Donna Hyland and the remarkable team of individuals who are continuing to contest the upcoming local election for Sinn Féin in Mayo.
“I would like to thank the Castlebar residents, our party members, supporters, and volunteers who have shown me support throughout this campaign.”
The move reduces the number of Sinn Féin candidates contesting next year’s local elections to five. Outgoing councillor Gerry Murray will be joined by an all-female quartet of new faces with Donna Hyland in Castlebar, Karen Gallagher in Westport, Rosaleen Lally in Belmullet, and Una Morris in Ballina. However, the party is expected to add more candidates.
