Town and County Council

It was my privilege to serve as a Town Councillor in Dundalk from 2004 to 2010. Some of my most memorable achievements in that time include the following:

• Establishment of the BIDS (Business Improvement Districts Scheme) and appointment of the Town Centre Commercial Manager. This position puts the future of the town centre to the fore in all decisions and aims to retain a vibrant and sustainable town centre for all the local people and visitors.

• Commercial Rates in Dundalk are still at the 2003 Rates – this has been a strategy adopted throughout the county including Drogheda.

• Bringing the Green Party Convention to Dundalk in 2008, with an estimated a spend in the local community of over €200,000.

• Managing the Infrastructure Committee dealing with the lead water mains which was widely praised for decisive action.

• Championing the regeneration of Market Square as the heart of Dundalk.

• Developing a clear and visionary brand identity for Dundalk (Feel the Energy)

AGRICULTURE

As a former full-time Horticulturist I am passionate about Ireland’s capacity to feed itself and create an independent energy supply.  Our land and coastline are a massive resource that we need to develop:-

• There is a future for farmers in Ireland in growing fuel and not just food crops e.g. turf plants in the midlands are being adapted to produce biomass crops such as willow, mischanthus. These crops can be safely burned for energy production without contributing to CO2 emissions.

• Job creation through import substitution. This encourages irish consumers to purchase Irish grown food, which as a labour intensive activity creates jobs.

• I have put forward a proposal to develop allotments at Oldbridge.

RESPONSIBLE PLANNING

Poor planning and development have lead to many of the problems we now face today of ghost estates and unsustainable development. At my insistence, the new Dundalk and Environs Development Plan commits us to becoming carbon neutral by 20:20. This means we can attract investors hoping to start Green Tech enterprises, who will in turn create Green jobs. In addition, we “down-zoned” the football field on the Lower Point Road, thereby saving the much-needed football field and much-loved bird habitat.

Though my time as a County Councillor was quite short, there is one particular area where I know that my actions made a considerable difference:

• I worked with Ardee Traders opposing the development of a large out of town retail complex on the Ardee Link Road, a position upheld by An Bord Pleannala.

ARTS & TOURISM

• St Patrick’s Day Parade – As chair of the St. Patricks Day Festival Committee I have helped restore the festival making it  the biggest annual gathering on the streets of Dundalk.

• Tain Festival – My business partner Derek Turner and I founded the Tain Festival back in 2003. This grown to become a celebration of Music, Comedy, Literature, Film, Food, Street and Sports in Dundalk. 

• Geo Park Tourism – I am currently developing plans for red grouse breeding in the Cooley Mountains. This aim is to restore to this region a native species.
• I have always promoted the Marsh and Estuary around Dundalk as a wildlife sanctuary

• I worked on the proposal to invite Comhaltas Ceoltóirí to set up a regional centre at the Old Gaol on the Carrick Road in Dundalk.
  
  

TRANSPORT & SAFETY

• Smarter Travel – I have lobbied hard on behalf of Dundalk to secure part of the €50m fund that aims to change how people get around their towns. Innovations might include realtime bus and train information available on your phone, charging for electric vehicle, 42km of off-road cycle lanes, more strategic routing of buses to meet peoples needs. This fund will be shared by 3 or 4 towns in Ireland and Mark contributed significantly to the strategy and content of this proposal.

• I was approached by the Young Social Innovators Group of St Vincents Girls School to campaign for a pedestrian crossing on the road outlide St Vincents school. On foot of a motion I put down the crossing was put in place in Autumn 2008.