James Charity has become the first individual to declare he will be a candidate in the May 2014 Local Elections for the Galway County Council.
The 30-year-old barrister from Annaghdown has frequently taken on cases involving issues pertaining to debt, banking, and family matters. He has represented a number of clients in defending repossession and debt cases brought by financial institutions.
In many respects these experiences have informed his decision to run.
“I want to ensure my local electoral area has a strong voice in the council chamber,” he told the Galway Advertiser. “I want to act as a conduit for those my age who have had to leave their families behind to find work abroad. I want to help those who find themselves in the mire of unemployment. I want to be a voice for micro-businesses struggling to survive and provide jobs in the locality while facing protracted trading difficulties and the unrelenting spectre of annual rate payments.”
Mr Charity will stand as an Independent candidate “to honestly pursue those policies which I believe in, unbound by party political loyalties”.
A central platform of his campaign will be the ideals of honesty and fairness.
“Honesty must serve as the cornerstone by which elected representatives promote the interests of their localities,” he said. “Only with fairness can we move forward from the political and economic mess which this country has tolerated. We have bailed out the banks, while families lose their homes. We have endured austerity, while its very existence targets the weakest in our society.”
Mr Charity is a voluntary director of the Galway Citizens Information Service and has also played for Annaghdown GAA and Corrib Celtic FC.
