Councillor to step down from position
By Mary Dennehy
TEMPLEOGUE/Terenure councillor Dermot Looney has this week announced that he is stepping down from South Dublin County Council next year, reports Mary Dennehy.
Working as a primary school teacher in St Dominic’s NS in Tallaght, Cllr Looney has been a councillor since 2009 when he was elected at the age of 26.
A former Labour Party and Independent councillor, Cllr Looney, who served as County Mayor in 2013/2014, joined the Social Democrats in June 2017.
This week, he said that he will not be contesting the Local Elections in May 2019, and will be supporting his “friend and colleague” Carly Bailey who will be running in the area for both the Local and General Elections.
“I have been working alongside Carly for over a year now on a range of local and national issues and am struck by her dedication to community, equality and hard work,” Cllr Looney said.
“She is a superb activist and community leader with whom I’ll be campaigning hard over the next nine months.”
Thank the people of this area
Describing his time as a councillor as a “singular honour”, Cllr Looney thanked his fellow councillors for their “support, engagement and, often, friendship” and the council officials and staff.
“Most of all, I want to thank the people of this area for the trust they have shown in me,” Cllr Looney added.
“I’ve been far from a perfect public representative but have tried my best with limited resources, usually on my own, trying to balance with a job and a personal life.
“I’m proud of my achievements as a councillor, my commitment to left-wing principles and ideas, and my work in general.”
Cllr Looney, who is from Greenhills, will continue to serve as a councillor until the Local Elections in May 2019.
