Name: Derek Nolan
Location: Riverside
Occupation: Incoming City Councillor
Favourite thing about Galway: It's connection with the water
Worst thing about Galway: The rain!

After getting off to a controversial start at Galway City Council on Monday, Derek Nolan has no plans to sit back in his efforts to prevent unsustainable planning in the city.

Derek Nolan has always been a likely candidate for local politics, having had a keen interest in current affairs since his teens.

While studying law at NUI Galway, Derek became exposed to party politics and got involved in a number of Deputy Michael D Higgins' campaigns. The Labour ethos appealed to Derek and by the time 2004 rolled around, 21-year-old Derek had decided to run for the party in the local elections.

Unfortunately, a lack of experience and a self-professed 'weak campaign' left Derek lacking in the polls and he missed out on the Galway East and North seat.

After completing his degree and teaching for two years in Germany, Derek still had the hunger for politics and decided he wasn't going to give up on his aspirations without a fight. Heartened by the five per cent share of the vote he claimed first time out, he learned from his mistakes and committed himself to running a strong campaign in the eight months leading up to the election.

His hard work paid off and he recently claimed the second seat in the Galway East constituency, with 11.31 per cent of the vote. Despite his strong showing, he admits he was not overly confident prior to the vote, believing that "you get nowhere in politics if you are confident; you have to think that you are the underdog and give 100 per cent".

The baby of the chamber, people may have expected Derek to take a back seat in his first term, finding the lay of the land before making his presence felt. However at last week's meeting, he started as he means to go on, with an outspoken tirade against the new FF/FG/Ind mayoral pact, which he branded a "betrayal of the electorate".

The strong willed Riverside man is keen to get involved in the thick of proceedings in City Hall and says he has faced far more daunting tasks than facing up to the chamber's prolific stalwarts, which include Padraig Conneely and Mike Crowe.

Derek's pet issue is planning in the city and, more specifically, the lack of facilities in built-up areas. He cites Doughiska and Roscam as two areas that have seen enormous residential growth in recent times, without the equivalent recreational and community facilities needed.

During his five-year term in office, he hopes to level the playing field by stopping irresponsible planning and constructing suitable facilities for these areas.

Public transport is another area that is top of the agenda for the council between 2009 and 2014. One of the marked differences between the Labour representatives and their City Hall counterparts is their opposition to the Galway City Outer Bypass. Their stance has taken a lot of criticism over the past number of years, but Derek says the criticism is a "red herring" as the bypass isn't even an option.

"The funding isn't there for this to go forward and the Government are engaged in legal action against An Bord Pleanála in relation to the same development. I think the bypass is just a diversion tactic and is distracting from the many other things that could be done to improve the traffic situation in the city."

While some councillors have called for party politics to be put aside, Derek believes it is an essential element of the council. However, he admits it may prove a hurdle for him and his party colleagues during this five-year term.

"There has been some division within the Chamber following the mayoral pact, but I would hope that the other councillors wouldn't use that to drown us out. At the end of the day, the people elected five Labour councillors to the chamber and it is important that their voices are heard. Obviously, we do have a lot of differences but if we agreed on an issue then I would have no hesitation in supporting them. I just hope that they are open to working together for the best result."

In his personal life, Derek describes himself as "an ordinary man" who likes to socialise with his friends when he gets a bit of time to himself. He is also very interested in reading and current affairs and hopes to find an apprenticeship and continue his legal career later this year.

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