SDLP MLA Karen McKevitt will not seek party nomination for South Down

SDLP MLA Karen McKevitt has announced that she will not seek the party’s nomination to contest the forthcoming Assembly election.

SDLP MLA Karen McKevitt will not seek party nomination for South Down

McKevitt, who was elected to the Assembly in 2011, spoke to Newry Times about her ’11 wonderful years’ representing the people of South Down.

She was a local councillor on Newry and Mourne District Council from 2005 until 2011 and then became an MLA.

“I have worked hard on their behalf every day since they elected me and I am proud of the contribution that I, and my team, have made in improving the lives of the people of this constituency,” she reflected.

“After much soul-searching I have decided not to seek the party’s nomination for South Down. I am currently exploring a number of options which may take me away from the world of politics.

“However, I still have a job to do for the remainder of this mandate and I will maintain a ‘business as usual’ approach in my constituency offices in Warrenpoint and Hilltown. I will continue to offer the people of South Down a first class service.

Karen continued, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the fantastic people of South Down for electing me and for all their support over the years. I would also like to thank my constituency office team for the magnificent work they have done for the people of the area.

“I would also like to thank the SDLP Parliamentary Assembly team and staff for their support throughout this mandate,” she added.

SDLP Leader Dr Alasdair McDonnell MP paid tribute to Mrs McKevitt’s service as an elected representative. “Karen has been an excellent servant of the people of South Down and a wonderful asset to the SDLP parliamentary team. Both as a councillor and more recently as an MLA she has been a fierce advocate for local people.

“Karen’s passion for public health has been unrivalled by any MLA from any party. Her work on the provision of defibrillators, for example, has undoubtedly saved lives in South Down and beyond. We all sincerely hope that Karen remains involved in public life.

Alasdair added, “Karen will be missed as a member of our team in the Assembly but I know she will continue to work until the very last minute of her mandate to deliver for South Down.”

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Posted by Newry Times News on Oct 7 2015. Filed under Community, News, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry