Cork City PPN today accepted the resignation from representative roles of Dan Boyle, formerly both a Secretariat member and PPN representative to the Local Community Development Committee (LCDC).

Dan has been ratified as a Green Party candidate for the 2019 local elections. The PPN User Guide requires anyone who has indicated an intention to run for election to   step down from representative duties. This is designed to keep separate and distinct the structures of participatory democracy (PPNs) and the more traditional elective democracy- see the below section

PPN representation is based in volunteer led organisations and, as such, is a separate process from Government Politics e.g. TDs, MEPs, Senators, Councillors etc. Thus

• Elected representatives of Local Authorities, Oireachtas members or MEPs cannot be nominated through this process.
• If anyone nominated through this process subsequently decides to enter electoral politics, they must immediately resign their PPN representative role.
• A person who has stood for election or been co-opted or who has been an elected representative on any level of government (local, national or MEP) may not be chosen to represent the PPN on any representative role for one year after the date of the election or after completing their term of office”

Cork City PPN are very grateful to the trojan work Dan has done for our network, and indeed towards community empowerment across our city, most recently at last week’s LCDC themed plenary, where he led a vibrant discussion on the potential of the PPN to influence the work of the Committee. We look forward to his continued involvement in the network plenary  as a member of Turners Cross Community Association. We wish him the best in the coming months and during the election campaign.

Dan’s departure from these roles leaves a spot on our secretariat as well as a representative role on the LCDC for the Community and Voluntary College. The PPN will be running elections for these and other roles later in the autumn.