Cllr Sinead Connaughton will not be seeking re-election to the Galway County Council next year, she announced this week.
The Mountbellew-based councillor, who took over as a councillor from her father, Dep Paul Connaughton, in 2003, has said she will finish her current term on the local authority but will not put her name forward for next year’s local elections.
Cllr Connaughton, a teacher at Athenry Vocational School, was co-opted to her father’s seat when he resigned from the council in 2003 in line with the dual mandate, and went on to top the poll in the Tuam Electoral Area in the 2004 local elections.
“After much thought and deliberation, I have decided not to put my name forward as a candidate for next year’s local elections for personal reasons,” she said this week. “I have enjoyed my time in public office and I would like to thank all the people who voted for me in 2004 to represent them in Galway County Council. I would also like to thank the Fine Gael organisation, the members of the local branches, my fellow county councillors, and friends and family who supported me over the last few years.”
