Fianna Fail Councillor John Coonan is a proud Fianna Fail man and makes no excuses for his party.
Unlike others, he believes that one must work within the party in order to get things done. Cllr Coonan is a believer in the Taoiseach, the Government and most importantly in Fianna Fail.
Speaking to the Kilkenny Advertiser he reminded me of his Graigueballycallan and Ballyline roots where he would top the poll if only he were running in those areas. However, as a man from the city he is running for the parish of St Patrick’s for the Borough Council and for Kilkenny city electoral area for the county and he hopes to retain both his seats on the two councils after the June local elections.
Not one bit daunted by an election is John Coonan and why would he be? He has received admirable vote counts in the past, pipping very popular councillors on election day to the post.
He is not one bit fazed by canvassing as a Fianna Fail representative – and a proud one at that — as he believes that people understand that he is doing his utmost on a local level to bring the people’s message to the top.
“Canvassing is never easy,” he says, “And it’s no different for this election. But I love canvassing and meeting the people. I have to say although people may have their gripes with the Government and with Fianna Fáil – I am still receiving a very warm welcome on the doorsteps. I believe in doing things personally and I like to make myself known to the people I hope to represent. I do this in person and not by putting up a picture of my face all over the place. I don’t think this is the right thing to do. It is just another form of littering and this year I have once again taken the stance that I will not be using election posters to enhance my campaign and instead I will be making a donation to the Special Olympics fund in Kilkenny which is very close to my heart.”
HSE
Cllr Coonan has retired as a psychiatric nurse after 39 years of service since late last year and he has worked with people with disabilities all of his adult life. He has also worked for the HSE, or the South Eastern Health board as it was formerly known for these years and he has huge praise for the latter.
“The South Eastern Health Board was a very efficient and positive way of managing the health services regionally. It comprised professionals, representative bodies and public representatives and it made decisions in a very democratic way.
The new HSE is not as open or transparent as the old system and just recently I asked the HSE South to write to the Minister and convey our dissatisfaction with the new structure and to carry out a review of the role and function of the HSE. I believe it is too centralised in its current form and us public representatives are not privy to any policy-making mandates in the new structure which is very restrictive. The South Eastern Health Board did a very good job in its day and St Luke’s Hospital is an outstanding example of a general hospital,” he said.
Central Access Scheme
Cllr Coonan is a firm believer in the progression of Kilkenny city and he also thinks that moving forward with the plans for the central access scheme is the way forward in order to do this.
“I don’t believe that this route which is currently with An Bord Pleanala, will divide the city. In fact I think it will do the opposite and make parts of the city more amenable to people. Development at the bottom of the city cannot progress with the only access route being the Green’s Bridge river crossing. This is a beautiful old bridge that needs to be protected – however it is not a suitable route for very heavy traffic. I shudder to think what would happen if anything happened to either Green’s Bridge or John’s Bridge. There would be chaos in the city from a traffic point of view. It is time that a new crossing was built before anything happens and at least we have the traffic problems of the city taken care of. This route is essential to the mobility plan for Kilkenny of which I am a huge advocate. Green’s Bridge should eventually be one way and it should be restored to its former glory. The old mart site and the brewery site are also two sites with huge development potential. If these sites are to be developed into the future the current traffic management system will not facilitate the development of these sites. We have to be realistic about this and see that the new central access scheme is a requirement under these circumstances too. Also the people living on the small streets that currently facilitate the heavy traffic that is obliged to travel the small roads daily deserve to have their streets back and this road will see that this happens,” said Cllr Coonan.
Second floor grants
A novel idea that Cllr Coonan believes could be a big seller for the city is his plan to lobby the government for grants to refurbish the second and third floors of commercial buildings along the city centre streets in Kilkenny.
Cllr Coonan says that this kind of a scheme would bring a new vibrancy back onto the streets of the city and would be a positive move from a job creation point of view during these recessionary times.
“I think that the government through the local authority could offer grants to people who would refurbish the second floors of commercial shop or office buildings along the High Street. I have seen so many of them that are in disarray and it would be wonderful to see them restored for business or living purposes. These grants would get tradesmen back to work on these building projects and the city would get a facelift in the restoration of the old buildings. I hope that this proposal will be given serious thought and consideration as it is a positive move in so many ways,” said Cllr Coonan.
Lisbon
A strong supporter of the Lisbon Treaty, Cllr Coonan is hopeful that it will be passed next time around.
“People forget that we here in Kilkenny actually passed the Lisbon Treaty but there was not enough support nation-wide for it to be carried. In all only 4 per cent of the European population voted no to Lisbon. We can’t forget that when we first joined the EEC as it was then, we were a tiny country, relatively unknown and hugely reliant on the UK for exports. Since we joined the EU we have boxed above our weight and have become a very significant player in the European field. We have benefited to the tune of billions from an infrastructural point of view alone and many of our new roads come with the tag – ‘supported by the EU’ — attached. We should not forget this next time around and although I agree that Lisbon was handled poorly in the past, I hope that the electorate will see the benefits to our country and our people of being at the heart of Europe,” he concluded.
