Rice confirmed to run for Social Democrats

THE Social Democrats in Cork South Central have selected Pádraig Rice as their candidate for the local elections in the Cork City South Central Local Electoral Area.

Pádraig, who lives in Ballyphehane, is a human rights advocate and policy manager with LGBT Ireland, as well as an active member of the Frontrunners Running Club who ran the full Cork City Marathon last summer.

He has a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Oxford and a BSc and a Law degree from UCC and has previously worked as a parliamentary assistant in the Dáil, as the coordinator of the Cork Gay Project and as the UCC Students’ Union welfare officer.

Pádraig is no stranger to campaigning, coordinating the Michael D Higgins re-election campaign in Cork, volunteering with the marriage equality campaign, and serving as the secretary of Together for Yes in Cork during the Repeal the 8th Campaign.

Commenting on his selection, Pádraig said: “I’m running in the local election because I believe it’s time for change.

“We need to elect new people who have a fresh vision for the city.

“Housing is my number one priority. No one in Ireland should be homeless. The State must build more social and affordable homes to end the housing crisis.

“Delivering better healthcare is also really important for me and the Social Democrats.

“Everyone should have access to good-quality healthcare that is free at the point of use. We must end the two-tier system and the long waiting lists and provide universal access.

“I believe that we need to invest more in public service. We need to increase public investment in childcare, education and public transport to reduce fees and improve services.”

He added: “The biggest threat to humanity is climate change. We must tackle it at all levels, from the local to the global. This must be the central focus behind everything we do.

“Cork is a great city, but the public spaces could be improved with more public toilets, benches, water fountains and trees. If elected to the Council, I will advocate strongly to improve our public spaces.

“It is time for better political decision-making. We need to see greater levels of transparency and accountability in politics.

“A vote for the Social Democrats is a vote for change.”