Tony Ward to seek re-election in 20th year as Roscommon councillor

Twenty years on from first being elected as an Independent councillor, Curraghboy's Tony Ward has confirmed he will be on the ballot paper at the local elections this summer.

"Meeting people, working with people, and working for people is what keeps me going," Cllr Ward told the Westmeath Independent.

"I enjoy doing the work I'm doing. I don't feel that it's a pull or a drag on me. I suppose I could retire, but I want to continue on and the people will have that choice to make come June 7 or June 8.

"The payback for me is getting results for people, and I love working with younger people and older people in relation to the issues."

After an unsuccessful first election run in 1999, Cllr Ward was elected to Roscommon County Council five years later, and he secured re-election in 2009, 2014 and 2019.

Independent politicians are increasingly common these days, but Cllr Ward said he was the first candidate to be elected as an Independent in South Roscommon.

"There were people before then who had been elected with parties and later became 'Independent Fianna Fáil', or whatever, but I was the first to be elected in South Roscommon as an Independent," he said.

Prior to his election, he had worked for Eircom for 30 years, but in 2004 he decided to concentrate solely on his role as a local representative.

"I got elected in June, and I had retired (from Eircom) by end of July of the same year. And I've been a full-time councillor ever since.

"I have my health, which is the main thing, and I have to be very thankful and grateful for that. And I have a wife and family that supports me, so that gives me a purpose to get up each day, look at my diary, and go out and work.

"I never have a quiet day, and that's the way I like it," he said.

Discussing some of the issues on the minds of the electorate, Cllr Ward said: "Housing is one of the big ones, and for older people it's home help and home care.

"That is a major problem, because the HSE are telling me they have the money to pay the staff but they haven't got the staff."

He also said there were concerns about crime after a number of burglaries occurred over the last month across areas such as Curraghboy, Kiltoom, Dysart and Four Roads.

"Money and jewellery was taken in some of those cases, and serious damage was done," he said.

"I would put it down to the closures of (the Garda stations in) Ballyforan, Taughmaconnell and Knockcroghery. I'm sure that has a bearing on it.

"The criminals can target the likes of our area and they can travel from Dublin and be here in an hour and ten minutes."