Fine Gael’s Gareth Scahill was elected on the sixth count in the Roscommon Municipal District on Sunday. The newly-elected councillor was a first-time candidate, but comes to the role with an established reputation as a dedicated activist within his community.
Speaking to the Roscommon People, the Castlerea native explained that his involvement within the local community extends back “12-odd years”, having sat on a number of different committees and participated in various different local groups, such as Castlerea Town Team, LCDC Roscommon, and the council’s Planning, Environment, Corporate and Governance SPC. He hopes that these experiences will enable him to “hit the ground running” in his new role.
Cllr Scahill told the People that the campaign itself was “an experience and a half; you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into until you’re in it”.
He added: “Thankfully I was absolutely blessed with my team – family members, friends… all came together to support and help out”.
As for the electorate, he said: “People were very engaged, and as a first-time candidate, it was important to get out there and listen to people and really get to know their concerns. I’m delighted with the vote and with the mandate I received from voters, so I thank them for that.
“There’s a lot of potential in Roscommon – we live in one of the best counties in the country and I think we need to shout a lot more about it. Of course, we need to make sure the services are there for the people living here, but we also need to be a lot prouder of where we come from, because we do come from a great place”.
