New face for council

SINN Féin have announced their replacement for the Craigavon Council seat left vacant by the resignation of the party's Upper Bann Assembly Member John O'Dowd.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Jul 2010, 18:57 BST
Updated 27th Jul 2010, 21:43 BST

Tommy O’Connor, a grand nephew of the iconic Republican leader Joe Cahill, has been nominated to replace Mr O’Dowd as Sinn Fin’s representative in Central.

Mr O’Connor, a foreman bricklayer, whose family moved from Belfast to Craigavon in the early 1980s was brought up and educated in the Brownlow area and still resides there.

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Sinn Fin has now completed its own internal processes and are awaiting the official declaration from the Electoral Office which will allow the new Councillor take his seat.

Making the announcement Sinn Fin’s Group leader on Craigavon Council Mairead O’Dowd said: “John O’Dowd resigned this seat in order to concentrate on his role as an MLA and to make way for new, fresh, and most importantly additional, political representation.”

Mairead went on to say John would be a hard act to follow but in Tommy O’Connor "we have found an able replacement".

Commenting on his nomination as replacement for the Sinn Fin seat Mr O’Connor said: “I am looking forward to the challenge of a new role as a Councillor and the new opportunities it offers to promote the republican ideal."

Related topics:John O'DowdSinn Fein