Cllr Karey credits rural and town vote for victory

MIXING business and pleasure seems to be the way forward for Tuam’s youngest recruit to public office, independent councillor Karey McHugh.
The 24-year-old secured a seat on Galway County Council and Tuam’s Municipal District Council late on Sunday night at the count centre in NUI Galway, with a final result of 1,880 votes enough to carry her over the line.
Crediting both town and rural support for her election, Karey said she didn’t think her vote was solely down to young people.
“I think that while I did have younger people voting for me I also had the older generation who could relate to me as they saw in me their own daughters or sons who have been forced to leave home because of a lack of job opportunities,” she said.
“It was also pretty much a 50/50 rural-town split in terms of where the votes came from so I’m thrilled that I’ve been given this mandate to represent the entire community.”
Among her priorities for her five-year term include promoting local enterprise in the region and offering her services as a DJ for youth discos in the town.
She was the third independent to claim a seat, after Sean Canney topped the poll and turf cutter campaigner Michael Fitzmaurice came in third.