New MLA ‘incredibly humbled’ by support
Former Slieve Croob councillor takes up South Down Assembly seat
SOUTH Down’s new MLA has said he is “incredibly humbled” by the messages of support he has received since taking up the role.
On Monday, Andrew McMurray was selected by Alliance to succeed Patrick Brown in the Assembly, automatically relinquishing his Slieve Croob council seat in the process.
He spoke to the Mourne Observer about the whirlwind developments of recent days as he prepared to sign the Register for Assembly members in Stormont yesterday morning (Tuesday).
“I have been incredibly humbled by the messages of support that I have received from right across the constituency and right across the political spectrum,” said the new MLA.
“I probably won’t ever get a chance to reply to everybody, but I am just incredibly grateful, and every message of support that I have received has been much appreciated.”
Mr McMurray paid tribute to his predecessor, who announced he was leaving politics last Tuesday (23 April).
“Starting at the start, I want to thank Paddy for all the work he has done,” he said.
“He has always worked incredibly hard for his DEA in Rowallane, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, and the wider South Down constituency.
“We have seen the Alliance Party grow quite significantly over the years through the work that he has put in, and now I am looking forward to taking on that work and taking on that development.
“I am hoping to keep Alliance growing in the South Down area.”
The Castlewellan man stated that becoming an MLA was “not something that I was looking for inherently”, though, once the unexpected vacancy arose, he “reflected upon all the work that I have done in the constituency and for my DEA” and soon “realised that this was an opportunity that I would relish to take on”.
The support of his family, the local constituency association and his colleagues on council helped him to seize the “amazing opportunity” that had come along.
Mr McMurray said that he is looking forward to his new role, though he admitted he will miss his old one.
“My politics is one of collaboration,” he stated.
“I want to work with other parties to deliver for everybody – that is ultimately what I want to do, and that is the politics that I am involved in.
“I tried to espouse that every time I was in council, and we were able to get motions across and ensure cross-party support at times.
“Yes, I am going to miss council – the councillors, the council officers and council workers were always very good, and I will miss them, for sure.”
A process to appoint his replacement in Slieve Croob will now be carried out by Alliance.
Given the MLA’s background as an outdoor pursuits instructor, he is keen to highlight environmental issues, such as protecting upland environments like the Mournes and Slieve Croob, and tackling pollution in our waterways.
He also stressed that he will also be focused on “issues around health provision, domiciliary care and education”.
“Schools are under huge financial pressure – there’s nursery and pre-school provision, there’s special educational needs provision,” said Mr McMurray.
“I am not sure what committee I will end up on, but whatever committee I do end up on, I will look to make sure that I advocate for my constituents in the best possible way.”
Concluding, the MLA confirmed that he had already overcome the first big challenge of his new role.
“Living the life of an outdoor pursuits instructor, I only had one shirt,” he laughed.
“So, the biggest challenge yesterday was going around trying to buy a rake of new white shirts.
“Outdoor attire is slightly different from Stormont chamber attire.”
