How would you help get more housing built in the city – especially social and affordable housing?
One of the ways I would do it is ramp up the conversion of commercial property to apartments for social and affordable rental or sale. Recently, Dublin City Council acquired an office building in my electoral area, Dublin 4, and are turning them into affordable housing for local people to buy and rent.
How would you help improve conditions in existing housing, both social and privately rented?
I’d favour increasing the rental tax credit further in the next budget to over €1,000 and more legal representation for tenants at RTB hearings.
What would you do to help make the city feel less dirty, tackling the rubbish and dog poo all over the streets?
Purchase more cleaning machines, more recruitment of street cleaning staff, and create a supportive work environment that champions the enormous work that our city council workers undertake.
What would you do to help tackle vacancy and dereliction?
While the derelict site levy helps, in reality the best way to tackle vacancy and dereliction is for the City Council to purchase buildings that are on the derelict site register and convert them into other use, including new homes.
What needs to be done to make the city feel safer?
More Gardai on the street, in our city centre and in our urban villages. Public order Gardai were highly visible in the city centre over the Christmas period and in the wake of the riots, this should be continued.
What needs to be done to improve public transport in the city?
We need to build the metro and then move towards a feasibility study for a metro south west that would include Portabello, Rathmines and Terenure.
What should be done to make it nicer and safer for people to get around the city on foot and by bike?
The money that central government provides for active travel should also be spent on a major footpath improvement programme throughout urban villages within the Dublin City Council administrative area.
What would you do to help counter the rise of the far right, anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ+ hate, and anti-asylum-seeker arsons?
I provide accurate information to those who seek it and I engage with every member of my community. It is incumbent on everyone who is elected to exercise the power you have to inform accurately and seek out information that you can both explain and advocate on. Prejudice only survives in an information vacuum. Ultimately, Dublin remains an extremely welcoming city and it is the job of all of us to make sure it stays that way.