Long serving Offaly councillor makes major announcement

LONG serving Offaly councillor John Foley has announced that he is stepping down.

Cllr Foley, an Independent member of Offaly County Council for the Edenderry Electoral Area, made the announcement at this afternoon's meeting of the local authority.

Cllr Foley, who is 65, is an Edenderry-based businessman whose political career began with Fianna Fail.

A native of Co Kerry, he was first elected to Edenderry Town Council in 1999 and went on to win a seat in the County Council at every subsequent election and also ran for the Dail.

In a statement, Cllr Foley said confirmed he will not be contesting the County Council election on June 7.

Cllr Foley said: “I would like to take this opportunity to inform my fellow councillors and my loyal supporters that I have decided not to put my name before the electorate in the upcoming local elections in June.

“This is not a decision I have made lightly but after 25 years in public life I feel it is the perfect opportunity to call time on my political career and pass the baton on to someone else. I entered politics because I wanted to serve my community and I am proud of what I have achieved. I have always endeavoured to work to the best of my ability for the people I represented.

“I have enjoyed each and every year of my political career, a career that has thrown up some highs and also some lows but on the whole there have been more good days than bad.

“The greatest disappointment was undoubtedly the General Election result of 2007 but looking back it could also be seen as a huge achievement. Any day you only fall short of securing a Dáil seat by 311 votes, when you consider your running mate in non-other than the then Tánaiste Brian Cowen. “Since then I have had many good days most recently being elected on the first count in the 2019 local elections.

“Those kind of achievements don’t occur by accident but rather come about through hard work and that is something I could not have achieved alone. I have had some very loyal supporters over the past 25 years. I have had a number of individuals who have canvassed and worked closely with me to organise my election campaigns. I have had individuals who have voted for me election after election to ensure I was returned time after time and from the bottom of my heart I thank them for their loyalty and for placing their trust in me. 25 years is a long time and sadly in that time some of those who supported me over the years are no longer with us and they are in my thoughts and prayers.

“I thank my fellow councillors both past and present, many of whom I may not always have agreed with or indeed them with me but at the end of the day we all wanted the same thing, what was best for the people of the area.

“Finally I want to thank my family, Marie and Orla; they have always supported me in everything I have done. They have stood behind me and worked tirelessly with me and for me in everything and without their support I could not have achieved any of what I have in the past 25 years. It is safe to say Orla can’t remember a time when I haven’t been involved in politics but now that is about to change and I will have a lot more time to support Marie and Orla and also now my beautiful granddaughter Molly.

“Again let me finish by thanking everybody, my family, my secretary, my dedicated campaign workers, my loyal supporters and my council colleagues. I wish each and every one of you all the best for the years ahead and I look forward to spending more time with my wonderful family.”