Jason Barr is a councillor on Derry City & Strabane District Council. This morning he resigned from the SDLP and plans to continue as an independent. He posted a statement on Facebook this morning:
Today I have resigned from the SDLP and will continue my tenure as an Independent Councillor.
This decision was not made easily. I simply cannot be involved in a party that doesn’t stick to party democratic processes. Values that the party was built upon is seemingly being ignored.
Please know this has nothing to do with the party locally and the team or SDLP councillors in DCSDC, but the party management and HQ.
I would like to thank my family and friends for their support during the last week and who will continue to back me.
Please know it’s business as usual, only difference is it’s me myself and I.
Can I finally add that I wish Lilian a very successful tenure in her position of Mayoress for our council area, a position I have no doubt in saying, she will go above and beyond.
I have no idea what the reason is, but I imagine people will not be pleased with him for overshadowing the appointment of his ex fellow SDLP Councillor Lilian Seenoi-Barr as Derry’s first black Mayor
The SDLP's Lilian Seenoi-Barr is to make history as the next mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council – the first black mayor in Northern Ireland. https://t.co/PzjBSYWp4y @BBCNewsNI
— Brendan Hughes (@brendanhughes64) April 29, 2024
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
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