By Harry Walsh
THE former Chairman of the Labour Party in Donegal has entered the election race as a Community Candidate for Letterkenny/Milford area.
Mr Peter Cutliffe said that his main priorities will be to focus on jobs for young people, maintaining rural post offices and improving facilities at Letterkenny General Hospital.
A Financial Advisor with New Ireland Assurance, Mr Cutliffe is Vice-Chair of Donegal Education and Training Board. He stood as an Independent candidate in the local Letterkenny Town Council election.
As a member of Friends of Letterkenny Hospital Committee and PRO of the Donegal Hospice Mr Cutliffe is actively involved in fund-raising for the betterment of health facilities in Donegal.
“I believe an incoming Council needs a to have a renewed leadership role in job-creation and to push for another call-centre project in Letterkenny. We only have to look at the success of Pramerica who now have created over 1,000 jobs for the people of Letterkenny, Milford, Glenswilly and beyond,” Mr Cutliffe said.
He has been in contact with the County Manager proposing that the Council take a leading role in developing rural post-offices to become enterprise/community development centres.
“If we are not proactive in this regard, I believe that An Post will simply close several post-offices , which are the life-line of rural communities,” he said.
“I also believe that polling-clerk positions should be advertised and, if elected, I will push for transparency in how public positions and services are advertised and tendered,” he added.
In November last, Mr Cutliffe resigned as Chairman of Labour Party in Donegal and also as a party member.
“I believe that the Labour party no longer represents the ordinary citizen , particularly in rural areas like Donegal, and I want to represent the views of local people. I therefore cannot continue to speak for the Labour Party in Donegal,” he said at that time.
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