Butler not to stand in May Assembly elections

LAGAN Valley Sinn Fein MLA Paul Butler will not be standing for the Assembly again in May.

Mr Butler resigned from Lisburn Council in December and has now announced that he will not contest the Assembly elections later this year.

Mr Butler, 53, who became the first member of his party to be elected from Lagan Valley to the assembly, said: "This has been a difficult decision for me to make after being involved in elected politics at the Assembly and on Lisburn Council for the last 14 years.

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"I want to thank the people of Twinbrook, Poleglass, Lagmore and Dunmurry who elected me to Lisburn Council for three council terms to represent them as their councillor, and the people of Lagan Valley who helped me become the first Sinn Fein MLA for Lagan valley in the Assembly elections of 2007.

"In particular, I want to thank all of those Sinn Fein members who helped me with my election campaigns and made it possible for me to be an elected representative. It has been a great honour for me to be an elected representative at both Lisburn Council and at the Assembly."

Mr Butler, a former joinery teacher, said that he intends to still be involved in campaigning and helping to "better people's lives".

"I also hope to continue my work on the Long Kesh project which I have been heavily involved in over the years," he added.

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