Fianna Fail new councillor Joe Malone has embraced his position as Councillor on Kilkenny Borough Council with aplomb.
In the first speech of his career he said that he was “honoured to be here” and he thanked his family including his mother, his wife, his son, his sister and three nieces and his campaign team many of whom were present to hear his first speech.
He paid tribute to former councillor Pat Fitzpatrick ,whom he said encouraged him to get involved.
“I hope to represent the people who feel marginalised in the city. I wanted to get involved because I want to make a difference for these people. People in Keep Kilkenny Beautiful would like to see our streets cleared of litter - well I would like to see our streets clear of heroin and cocaine. Families are being torn apart because of drugs and I’d like to see the people of the communities themselves playing a larger role in the recovery and we need to provide them with the tools to do this.
“I believe we need to leave party politics aside and work together as a council for the betterment of the city.
Some of the issues I hope to address during my term of office include social housing, anti-social behaviour, CCTV for estates, more Gardai on the streets, and issues affecting people with disabilities and I am looking forward to making a difference,” he concluded.
