Social Democrats Wicklow branch held their selection convention on Thursday evening during which Blessington resident Dave McGinn was selected as the party’s local election candidate for the Baltinglass local electoral area.
Originally from Tallaght, McGinn is a software developer who was heavily involved in the campaign to repeal the Eighth Amendment, and served as the local area contact and organiser for Together For Yes in West Wicklow. More recently he has become involved with Zero Waste Blessington, a community-based initiative to raise awareness of waste issues, working with local businesses and consumers to reduce waste.
McGinn studied Computer Science at University College Dublin, and has subsequently taken courses in Journalism, Entrepreneurship and Project Management. Having worked for a range of start-ups and established companies, he currently commutes to Dublin City where he works for a technology company active in the news media space.
Reacting to his selection as local election candidate for Baltinglass LEA, McGinn said:
“I’m relatively new to Blessington but I love it here, and I’m hoping that this campaign will be an opportunity for me to deepen my connection to the local area and community. I knocked on a lot of doors around here during the Repeal campaign, and I’m looking forward to doing so again—this time to introduce myself!”
“I’m really proud to have played a part in the campaign, and was delighted that Blessington voted overwhelmingly in favour of repeal. I’m intent on continuing to represent the progressive values which I encountered in Blessington and West Wicklow more broadly.”
“As a commuter myself, I’m aware of the inadequacy of public transport options for the area; I’ve spent more winter evenings than I would like to recall waiting an hour for the 65 bus to arrive after the first one was full. I’d like to explore what can be done to make the service more reliable and accountable.”
“During the summer months I was also disappointed with the amount of litter around the lakes, and I’m hoping that between the council and local businesses, complimenting the incredible work done by Tidy Towns, we’ll be able to ensure that this beautiful resource is protected.”
“I’m approaching this campaign with humility; I’m not claiming to have answers to every local problem, but I’m hoping that the more people I speak to, the more solutions will become apparent, and I’m eager to use this platform to advocate for those solutions.”
Social Democrats General Election Candidate for Wicklow, Cllr. Jennifer Whitmore, said: “I’m delighted to see Dave get the nomination to run for the Baltinglass local electoral area. He’s a very genuine person that wants to work with the local community in West Wicklow to make it an even better place to live and work. He will make an excellent County Councillor and I look forward to working with him in my capacity as Candidate for Wicklow to address those issues that affect people on a daily basis, such as transport, housing and improved community facilities.”
