Mary Roche flying the Purple flag in Waterford

Cllr. Mary Roche has a consistent record in speaking up for Waterford. As an independent on the Council, she built a reputation as a vocal, fearless and constructive public representative. In November 2022, she joined the Social Democrats. “If you want any influence up the line, you have to be part of a team. When the Social Democrats approached me, it seemed like a good fit. I always admired the founders of the party, Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shorthall. They’re two principled, honest and brave women. I felt the SocDems brought a fresh energy to Irish politics.” 

Re-elected to Waterford Council in June, Cllr. Roche was selected later in the summer as the Social Democrats candidate in Waterford for the General Election. “My priority has always been Waterford - I have always put Waterford first. When the opportunity came about to run for the Dáil, I decided to go for it. We all know the issues that we face here in Waterford, we’ve been speaking about them for 20 plus years. The Social Democrats are the one party who have the political will and pragmaticism to address them.” 

Since the announcement of the election, the Social Democrats have committed to upgrading Waterford Airport, and to start the process of elevating SETU to full university status. “Proper, balanced regional development is a key aspect of the Social Democrats manifesto and Waterford will benefit from that. The completion of these two projects will totally unlock the potential of the region.” 

“The SocDems have a very clear vision for the country - we pay Nordic levels of tax, so we deserve Nordic levels of public services. Currently, that isn’t the case.” Delivering on housing and healthcare in Waterford is another priority for Cllr. Roche: “I could talk all day about 24/7 cardiac care in Waterford (or the lack thereof), but UHW is actually the poorest funded Model 4 hospital in the country, despite the fact it’s the best performing. The Social Democrats have committed to ensuring equal access to specialist services, particularly cancer and cardiovascular treatments. At the moment, the health service, as we know well in Waterford, is essentially a post code service lottery.” 

House prices in Ireland have risen by €20,000 a year, and homelessness by 1,000 people a year as a result of the current government’s inflation driving tactics. They have not worked. Homeownership is at its lowest in 50 years. “We need both long term solutions, in terms of building affordable purchase, affordable rental, and social houses; but we also need short term solutions to get people into as many homes as soon as possible,” said Cllr. Roche.

The Social Democrats are proposing a three-year rent freeze, a ban on no-fault evictions, increasing the vacancy tax to 10%, and banning illegal short-term lets. These measures are intended to start fixing the holes in the system, rather than just covering them with a plaster while the situation worsens.

“The Social Democrats offer pragmatic solutions to generational crises,” said Cllr. Roche. “If you give me your number 1 on Friday the 29th of November, you’re voting for honesty, accountability and transparency in politics; a sensible approach to tackling the issues that are facing our country; and a vocal, bold and fearless representative for our city and county.” Vote No. 1, Mary Roche, Social Democrats.