Carroll not to contest fianna fil convention

The popular Nenagh based Fianna Fáil councillor John Carroll has indicated that he will not be contesting as a candidate at the Fianna Fáil selection convention, which will take place on this Thursday night at the Anner Hotel Thurles.
Councillor Carroll has informed the local media that Fianna Fáil headquarters instructed all units of the Fianna Fáil organisation in Tipperary last week that the selection convention would only be selecting one candidate.
Councillor Carroll has indicated that with the recent boundary changes, which transferred Lower Ormond into the Offaly Dáil Electoral Area, which has resulted in a significant reduction in registered members, which would make it very difficult for a candidate standing in the Nenagh Municipal Area to be successful at the selection convention.
Local Fianna Fáil supporters were surprised that the party hierarchy seem to favour candidates in the mid and south Tipperary areas at the expense of the Nenagh Municipal Area, which had a long record of representation since the foundation of the Fianna Fáil party. There is concern amongst many key party activists in the Nenagh Municipal Area that there will be no Fianna Fáil candidate from Tullamore in Co Offally to Limerick City, which will have a major impact on the party's ability to continue to re-organise and have a strong Fianna Fáil presence on the ground within the Nenagh Municipal Electoral Area, leading into the next General Election in 2016.
Councillor Carroll thanked the large number of Fianna Fáil Cumann and delegates who nominated him to go forward to the Fianna Fáil selection convention and he said he would continue to represent all as a local public representative into the future. Councillor Carroll stated he would be looking at other options in the near future.