Christy Mearns #1 for Anderston/ City/ Yorkhill

For those Greens that I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting I wanted to give you the chance to learn a bit more about me and why I have chosen to put myself forward for Anderston/ City/ Yorkhill.

I’ve lived in Glasgow all my life and I have studied here; it’s a city I care deeply about. My academic background is in the arts and I run my own photography business. I am also involved in a range of local food projects aiming to shift attitudes around food production, such as with social enterprise Locavore, Glasgow University Food Coop and as community garden project facilitator for Kinning Park Complex. In my spare time I also communicate the Green message as a committed activist, Vice-chair of my community council, co-convenor of the West sub-branch and recently as a candidate for Anderston/City in the by-election in August.

What really got me interested in politics was the inspiring Green Yes vision. Around the time of me joining Greens were also instrumental in opposing TTIP – something I had been actively campaigning against at the time with Global Justice Scotland and 38 degrees. In the wake of the referendum I also helped set up a working group for 38 degrees members in Scotland and I played a key role in their Join the Vote campaign registering people to vote in my community.

Around the time of me joining Greens were also publicly supporting a petition I was taking to the Scottish Parliament with ‘Say No to Tesco‘, calling for an end to aggressive supermarket expansion on our high streets and, eventually, for a change in planning legislation.

When the by-elections came round this year I jumped at the chance to put myself forward for Anderston/City, a ward in which local businesses play such an important role yet all too often struggle. During the campaign I spent time getting to know traders on High Street and their issues with arms-length organisation, City Property. I am currently in the process of petitioning Glasgow City Council about this and I recently campaigned to save the Blue Chair café from eviction. If elected I will continue to fight the corner of local businesses in the ward.

Anderston/City is also a ward which encompasses many positive community integration efforts yet which deals with high levels of poverty and social isolation. Since the by-election I have been working with Anderston Community Action, one of these efforts in bringing the community together and in tackling poverty. Brutal cuts imposed from Westminster mean that the work of local charities and social enterprises is so vital in bridging the many gaps. These play a vital role in equipping people with skills for future employment and I will continue to support, promote and expand them.

During my campaign I was told I had been more visible than other party candidates on the streets. I also built up strong working links with the branch; most community councils in the ward, our own and other party’s Councillors, and also with as much of the community as I could, in the short time I had. One of my motivations for joining my community council was to help give more residents a voice in the decisions that affect them. I will support better community engagement in the planning process, by supporting all community councils in the ward to build their membership and to respond to planning applications effectively. At the same time I will also campaign for a reformed planning system; one in which residents have equal rights of appeal and applications are more accessible to the public.

Receiving nearly 14% of first preferences and our highest ever vote share in the ward was, I think, testament to my commitment and the hard work and hours I put in: listening to residents, generating positive media coverage and making head-way in campaigns. I hope I can continue, as your candidate again, to spread a positive green vision locally and to foster strong community participation in local democracy. I conducted my last campaign in a spirit of determination, selflessness and transparency and will continue to do so in future campaigns. If elected I will present a positive case for a better balance of power in the City Chambers: one where women and young people are properly represented.

These are some of the reasons I am hoping for your 1st preference vote – to continue the work I have started and to carry on the brilliant work of Nina Baker as our next Green Councillor for Anderston/City/Yorkhill, something I would delight in being.

Thank you for reading,

Christy.

Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions for me. I would love to hear from you. 

 

Email: christyamearns@gmail.com

Facebook.com/christymearns

Twitter: @ChristyMearns