As the local elections heat up candidates are fighting to get their policies out there. Adrienne Wallace is the local election candidate for Carlow and the European candidate for Ireland South for People Before Profit. Ms. Wallace wants to see a move towards town regeneration and she reckons it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.
Ms. Wallace said “A lot of people on the doors have said to me that the Carlow town they knew 30 years ago was more vibrant than it is today. It doesn’t have to continue like this. If elected on May 24th I will be fighting for town regeneration. One of the most pressing issues is filling the vacant commercial properties. I want to link the rates a business pays to its profits. That will ensure small and medium enterprises have a fair playing field and are able to survive and thrive.”
Ms Wallace added that town regeneration doesn’t have to cost a lot of money it just takes some fresh ideas and a new politics. She said ” I want to see Carlow reaching it’s full potential. We have lost a lot of our industry over the years down to privatization but we have a great spirit that deserves to be showcased. I want to develop our arts and culture profile. One way of doing this would be to see the introduction of Annual Busker Competitions to promote all the local talent we have and create a buzz on the streets again. I also think we shouldn’t leave any of our large buildings bare – let’s fill our streets with street art and paint buildings in bright colours. The Carlow flag is one of the most colourful in the country – let’s reflect that in the town.
Ms. Wallace concluded by saying we need to build our tourism profile, “Our closest neighbour, Kilkenny is a huge tourist hot spot. If we develop stronger transport links with Kilkenny tourists can have their breakfast there and their lunch in Carlow where they can explore our historic town.”
