Green Party member, Carol Okeke, is ready to campaign for the Longford Westmeath constituency in the next General Election after her “eye-opening” stint in Westmeath County Council.
Ms Okeke was confirmed as the Green Party nominee for the local constituency, and said she “believes in Green ideas.”
She commented: “This is a big step for me. I still believe in green ideas and what we can do to help our climate be a lot better for the people and it is just for me to give back to the people and community.”
Ms Okeke briefly served on Westmeath County Council as a maternity cover replacement for former Green Party councillor, Hazel Smyth. She failed to gain a seat in the local elections, but hopes her stint at the council will prepare herself for the upcoming election.
She told Topic: “The council was very eye-opening for me because I then saw what people did as councillors. I had an idea but then that gave me an update to see what exactly was being discussed and what was being done for the society.
“They talk about the little things that matter to people like the transport on the street, the streetlights, to give people more areas to walk safely, all of these things.
“That opened my eyes to what goes on and what they do. It gave me more understanding about life and community issues. I have been here for 10 years and I got to know about more places. It was an education into the system.”
