Name Sean Canney | ||
Sean Canney quits the Independent Alliance
Seán Canney (born 6 April 1960) is an Irish Independent politician and a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway East constituency, upon being elected at the 2016 general election. He was appointed Minister of State for the Office of Public Works and Flood Relief in May 2016.
A native of Belclare, Tuam, Canney was campaign manager for his brother-in-law, Paddy McHugh, in the 2002 general election in which McHugh successfully gained a seat in the Galway East constituency.
As an Independent, Canney was elected to Galway County Council in 2004 on his first attempt. He was re-elected in each of the subsequent local elections in 2009 and 2014. In both the 2009 and 2014 elections he topped the poll in the Tuam electoral area - receiving 3,273 first preference votes (1.39 quota) in 2009 and 3,171 first preference votes (1.70 quota) in 2014.
He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2011 general election in the Galway East constituency, receiving 5,567 first preference votes (0.47 quota).
He served as Mayor of County Galway for the term 2007-08, and served on a number of boards and committees. He joined the Independent Alliance in advance of the 2016 general election. In the general election of February 2016 he topped the poll in Galway East, securing 8,447 first preference votes.
Following his election he was appointed a member of the Dáil Committee on Housing and Homelessness and served on that committee until his appointment as Minister of State for OPW and Flood Relief on May 19. He had previously voted for Enda Kenny as Taoiseach.