Campaign – Issues – Media – Noel Dempsey
The campaign is moving into another phase with most of the candidates now declared from the various Parties. Personally, I have been heartened by the response to both the Labour Party and myself and the target of three seats very much in reach. On average, I am out two nights a week and Saturday mornings along with the usual round of Community/Residents meetings that take up the rest of the week.
Issues I have been dealing with range from non-collection of Green Bins in Ranelagh, planning issues in Donnybrook ( these include substantial proposals for the former Bizquip site and car park, refurbishment of Donnybrook House -former AIB Building, new application for development on the Ever Ready site and a more recent application for the Dunluce site on Anglesea Road). I have also been involved in discussions with the Rathgar Residents Association about their views on the Marionella Development and their about to be published Rathgar Draft Plan.
Have done a few radio interviews on Newstalk, Q102 and even RTÉ Radio 1 on a variety of issues and featuring in the media on topics ranging from Local Government reform, City finances and the wasteful costs of the large NDP signs that the Department require us to erect.
I attended a meeting recently with the Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey as part of a delegation from the Dublin Regional Authority to highlight our real concerns about the Dublin Transportation Authority. Little came out of the meeting except we now know that the DTA is effectively about to become an NTA with its Dublin focus now minimized. Another case, sadly, of the Greens being out maneuvered – to put it mildly – by Fianna Fáil.
Anyway the work goes on. Tonight there is a Public Information meeting on the Draft Dublin City Development Plan (incidentally, you can make your own thoughts known online here), later in the week is the annual Joint meeting of the two Regional Assemblies. I am a member of the Southern and Eastern Regional Assembly. There will also be a crucial meeting of the South Inner City Task Force. Disgracefully and without justification all the Task Forces are under threat at the moment with the Department and Minister seeking greater control. This is simply not acceptable and we will fight it tooth and nail
