Wanna Live Like Commons People?

Ollie, Jack & Zoe FRI13OCT23

irst press release from Jack Commons as he launches his Fianna Fail candidacy, on Friday, October 13th 2023…

Greystones resident Jack Commons has announced that he is putting himself forward as a candidate in the local elections in June of next year.

Jack is a secondary school teacher and has previously taught in schools in Kilcoole and Bray. Jack’s extended family have been an integral part of Greystones, Kilcoole and surrounding areas for many years.

At the announcement Jack said, “I was born and raised in Greystones and have been an active participant in many sporting clubs since an early age, including Éire Óg, Greystones Rugby Club, Greystones United FC and local athletics clubs.

Living in Delgany Wood and originally from Grattan Park, I have strong family roots in the area, going back four generations, where my father, grandparents, and great grandfather lived in the town, as myself, my fiancé Zoe and our new baby, Ollie, do now.”

Jack grew up in the area, going to school and working locally which has given him a great understanding of the needs and wants of the community. As a young parent, he also knows the challenges that people face in acquiring homes and in securing childcare and school places.

“I am deeply passionate about our community, about the place I call home, a place I have watched develop and change over my life. I want to represent the people of Greystones, Newcastle, Delgany, Kilcoole and Newtownmountkennedy at Council level. I believe I have the energy, enthusiasm, dedication and experience to meet the challenges that we, as a community face,” he said.

He starts his campaign with a pledge to always be available to constituents.

“If elected, I will be available to all future constituents,” he says. “I want everyone to feel comfortable that they can approach me if there is something they need or something they wish to discuss that I might be able to help them with. There are many areas where I believe I can help, but as a local representative, to really represent my future constituents, they must be able and happy to contact me. My mobile number is 0892012870 and my email is jcommonsff@gmail.com.”

Jack’s priorities in office would include the following:

Housing
Our town and villages are bursting at the seams while people are unable to find housing locally. Local housing starts with the county development plan. We need a county development plan which will increase the number of family homes while maintaining the characteristics of the towns we know and love.

This is an area I feel passionate about and I will work with the council to help local people with regards to the housing crisis.

Schools and Creches
I am familiar with the issues facing parents with regards to the limited number of places for their children, across schools and creches. I will work with local schools and creches to find the best solution to ensure there are adequate places to enrol your children in the coming months and years.

Transport
As a daily commuter, I know first-hand how under resourced and disjointed the public transport service is in Greystones, Kilcoole, Newtown, Newcastle and wider area for residents, workers and students. This is having a knock-on effect on traffic disruption in our community. Better, more efficient transport is vital to ease congestion and also for meeting our climate change goals. I will strive to improve public transport facilities that are essential to make the area more accessible.

Roads and Infrastructure
The decisions on how our roads are serviced and operate, start at your local council. The Greystones and surrounding district has seen huge growth and development without the allied improvement of roads, paths and aligned transport routes. Residents need to be able to travel safely on good roads and paths as they travel in and out of the town.

Businesses
As someone who has developed a business in the area I know how difficult it can be for people who run their own businesses. I will work with local interests to work together to make the area in and around Greystones more prosperous, implement initiatives to create jobs, and develop the local economy.

Public Facilities
I recognise that the public facilities in the area need some focus. Facilities and local community resources such as parks, skate parks and other public facilities have been neglected over the years. I will work to improve local facilities such as the men’s shed, sports and public facilities, local parks and beach areas, to ensure these places are safe, clean and well-lit and that they have at least the minimal amount of funding and facilities required for the community to use.

Big thanks to our no.1 snapper John McGowan for capturing the night…

You can check out the full John McGowan gallery of pics in hi-res here.