Labour pins Meath West hopes on school principal

Navan school principal and Meath County Councillor Jenny McHugh has been ratified as the Labour Party candidate to run in the Meath West constituency in the upcoming general election. In a contest where both Cllrs McHugh and Tracey McElhinney contested the ticket, Cllr McHugh was the choice of the delegates qualified to vote on the night. Accepting the nomination, the Johnstown school principal said she had a proven record at vote-getting and it was her intention to work hard to win a seat for the Labour Party in Meath West, which incorporates the Castlepollard/Collinstown and Coole areas of Westmeath. In her pre-election speech to party delegates, Cllr McHugh expressed her concern for the many people affected by the downturn in the economy, including young couples under severe strain to keep the roof of their heads, those affected by hospital waiting lists, the unemployed, those affected by education cuts, the loss of special needs assistants, the threat to pensions. She said that the country faced another “Flight of the Earls†with so many young people having to emigrate to other lands to make a living. She said that, with the Labour Party in government, it would deliver “a different Ireland†where fairness in society is paramount, justice for everyone, a decent livelihood for every worker and a lifestyle befitting the dignity of every man, woman and child on the island. Ms McHugh has been principal of the 550-pupil St Stephen's National School in Johnstown, Navan, since 2003. A member of a large family from Co Mayo, she said she had been fortunate in having parents who believed in the power of education. She was first elected to Meath County Council as a Labour candidate in 2009. She said that she had campaigned on the issue of school provision for the Johnstown area and was now proud of the fact that a site for the building of a new school had been attained. She lists among her hobbies the exhibiting of shiatsu dogs at shows around the country.