THE son of the late Derry Olympian, Neil McLaughlin, and a well-known community worker from Galliagh, have been endorsed by Sinn Féin as new faces on a four candidate ticket for next year’s Council elections to the Ballyarnett District Electoral Area (DEA).
Galliagh youth worker, Aileen Mellon, and Shantallow tour guide, Neil McLaughlin Jnr. were added to the ticket
alongside Sinn Féin group leader, Sandra Duffy, and sitting councillor, Caoimhe McKnight, on Saturday.
It will be the first time since the 2005 election to the old Shantallow five-seater that Sinn Féin has fielded four candidates in the area.
In next May’s election to Ballyarnett, a DEA which returns six councillors, the party will be seeking to build on Colr. Duffy’s poll-topping peformance of 2014.
Ms. Mellon has already been selected for co-option to the Council to replace Conchúr McCauley for the remainder of the current mandate.
Mr. McLaughlin works as a part time taxi tour guide and is the son of the late Neil McLaughlin Snr., the Derry flyweight who reached the quarter-finals of the Munich Olympics in 1972.
Following the selection, Sandra Duffy tweeted: “Honoured today to be selected by the Countess Markievicz Cumann to stand in the local government elections 2019.
“We have a strong team of 4 who will fight for everyone in the Ballyarnett DEA – exciting times ahead.”
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