Ahead of the vote for this Friday’s General Election (November 29), Social Democrat candidate, Councillor Elisa O’Donovan, discussed her campaign with the Limerick Voice.
Councillor Elisa O’Donovan is running as the Social Democrats candidate for the Limerick City constituency for the 2024 General Election. She is one of 17 candidates for the Limerick City constituency.
From Healthcare into Politics
After gaining an interest in politics while attending University College Dublin (UCD), the Limerick City constituency hopeful has been running for the Social Democrats since 2018. Inspired by the two co-founders of the party, TD Róisín Shortall and TD Catherine Murphy, when asked to run for Limerick City, the candidate “jumped at the chance.”
Originally from London, the experienced Speech and Language therapist has previously worked for the Health Service Executive (HSE), Headway Ireland, the Disability Federation of Ireland and Mental Health Reform, and is a current member of the Regional Health Forum.
When speaking about her campaign, the councillor addressed issues in healthcare, investing in Limerick City, and the representation of women in the Dáil.
Healthcare in Limerick
Cllr. O’Donovan believes “healthcare should be accessible, reliable and free at the point of access.” She discussed ‘Sláintecare’, an initiative to reform the healthcare system, saying, “the Social Democrats were the driving force behind its creation.” In relation to health, the candidate’s priorities are “reducing waiting lists, and getting people access to basic services”, as she believes “health is linked to everything.”
Housing Crisis
When discussing the issue of housing in Limerick, Cllr. O’Donovan placed an importance tackling this crisis as she said, “housing plays a key role in health and mental health.”
Investment in Limerick City
The candidate spoke about her support of art and culture around the city, describing them as “the soul of our city.” She is also calling for “the basics right in Limerick”, such as reliable bus times and community building.
Student Support
With the party being founded in 2015, Cllr. O’Donovan described the Social Democrats as a “young party”, with a number of student members who are “passionate about the difficulties that students are facing.” The party member discussed the main issues faced by students such as “lack of housing, unscrupulous landlords, lack of parking, lack of public transport, unsustainable commuting times.”
Representation in the Dáil
Finally, the councillor spoke about the lack of female representatives from Limerick in government. “Nothing will change until we get more women elected, so it is absolutely vital that we get more young women involved in politics at all levels”, said Cllr. O’Donovan. The Limerick local is prioritising this issue and believes that “we need to tackle the significant issue of sexism in political spaces, and abuse online.”
With the vote commencing this Friday, November 29 and four seats up for grabs, the hopeful Social Democrat candidate will be canvassing to ensure the Limerick City vote.
📢 Don’t Miss Out!
Erin Stevens also did an exclusive Interview the General Election Candidate Dee Ryan.
👉 Read it here