East Lothian Greens today (11 Feb) announced their candidates for the local government elections in three months’ time, and say they are confident of electing the county’s first Green councillors.
The party will contest five of East Lothian’s six council wards, with Green councillors potentially holding the balance of power on the 22-member authority.
At the council elections on 4 May, voters in each ward elect 3 or 4 councillors to represent them, using the Single Transferable Vote method, in which candidates are ranked by preference: 1, 2, 3 and so on.
The East Lothian Green candidates are:
Jason Rose, Musselburgh
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Jason is a community campaigner, known for his work on Musselburgh’s traffic pollution problem. He lives in the town with his wife and young daughter and is Chair of the Burgh School Council. He is also Chair of Friends of Musselburgh Links and a member of Fisherrow Waterfront Group. Originally from Tranent, Jason was the Green candidate at the Westminster election in 2015, increasing the party’s share of the vote.
Sarah Beattie-Smith, Dunbar and East Linton
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Sarah is a Green activist, writer and artist, working in the voluntary sector. She lives in Dunbar. Sarah stood for the Scottish Green Party heading the South of Scotland list for Holyrood in May 2016.
Cris Thacker, Haddington and Lammermuir
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Cris lives in rural East Lothian and is secretary of the East Lammermuir Community Council. He works as a project manager with the NHS and has an Honours Degree in International Relations. Cris is an advocate for devolving power to local communities. He believes East Lothian Council could do more to attract new businesses, tourists and residents by working with Transport Scotland to reinstate the Haddington Branch Railway Line.
Eurig Scandrett, North Berwick Coastal
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Eurig lives in North Berwick and is a lecturer in Sociology and coordinator of postgraduate programmes in Social Justice at Queen Margaret University. For eight years he was head of community action at Friends of the Earth Scotland; he is coordinator of the Bhopal Survivors’ Movement Study and is a Fellow of the Centre for Human Ecology.
Lesley Orr, Preston, Seton and Gosford
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Lesley lives in Prestonpans and is a feminist historian, writer and activist, currently with the University of Edinburgh and previously at Scottish Women’s Aid. Lesley chaired the Zero Tolerance Board, was consultant to the World Council of Churches Decade to Overcome Violence 2001-2010, and was awarded ‘Woman of Influence 2012’ by Action for Children Scotland. Lesley is co-convener of the Common Weal Board and is co-founder of East Lothian Women for Independence.
Jason Rose, Green candidate for Musselburgh, said:
“Musselburgh is a great place to live and could be even better. I'd love to represent our town on East Lothian Council and would work hard to bring power back to local people. Too often decisions that affect us are taken remotely, and too often East Lothian Council doesn't listen to what we say. Through my local campaigning and support for all sorts of community activities, I hope I've shown I'm someone who gets things done. I'll be a fresh voice on the Council and I’ll make sure Musselburgh gets a better deal.”
Sarah Beattie-Smith, Green candidate for Dunbar & East Linton, said:
“I am delighted to have been selected as the Scottish Green Party candidate for Dunbar and East Linton. From reopening the station in East Linton to making sure local people are listened to on housing, schools and care, I’ll stand up for real local democracy and strengthen our community’s voice in the council.”
Susan Moffat, co-convener of East Lothian Greens, said:
“Our local candidates are active in their communities and would be a breath of fresh air on East Lothian Council. Last year Green MSP numbers trebled at Holyrood, and we’ve been enjoying an increased membership here in East Lothian. By securing an extra £3m for East Lothian Council through the Scottish budget, our MSPs have shown that electing Greens gets results. We are feeling confident about making a breakthrough, and are working hard to get our first councillors elected.”
To contact our candidates, email eastlothian@scottishgreens.org.uk.