Ballina independent councillor Mark Duffy confirmed on Sunday evening that he would not be contesting the upcoming general election.
The first term councillor who won his seat in the Ballina Municipal District taking 2,095 first preference votes last May and was elected on the first count.
In a statement on Sunday evening Duffy said: "I’d like to confirm that I will not be contesting the General Election on February 8 this year.
"Sincere thank you to anyone who has offered their support for a campaign however I am dedicated to following through on the commitments I made when running for election last year.
"For the rest of my term as councillor I will work to deliver for Ballina and North Mayo and tackle the neglect that the region has experienced over a number of generations. I will then decide on whether I want to continue in politics into the future.
"At a grassroots level, I believe things are changing, we are organising and mobilising to take our future into our own hands and work as a community to make positive improvements for the region.
"Without local representation the task becomes much more difficult. With that in mind I would like to wish the candidates of North Mayo; Dara Calleary, Michelle Mulherin, Gerry Lofuts and Rose Conway-Walsh the best of luck in their respective campaigns and hope that if they are elected, they will will restore faith in our area and address issues such as the inadequate road infrastructure and high unemployment that exists in this part of the county.
