Former Mayor of Derry and Strabane District Council, Graham Warke, has announced that he intends to stand as an independent candidate in this year's council elections.
Graham Warke was a member of the DUP until he stood down from the party at the end of his time as Mayor.
Alderman Warke will now stand as an independent candidate for the Faughan ward, which he has represented since 2015.
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Speaking to MyDerry, Alderman Warke said: "Honestly, I feel now I can talk for myself, I can do it from the heart. If anyone asks me for something, no matter where they are from, I will bring it to the chamber.
"It was an honour being Mayor but there is still a lot of work to do, my job is not done. People have been asking me every day if I am running. I have a lot of encouragement and support from friends and family to do this as well.
"I have been a representative of the Faughan for eight years, I have been deputy mayor and then also Mayor. My biggest thing during my time as Mayor was community outreach, I travelled to places in the city and district I had never been before.
"It blew me away, there are so many unsung heroes in the city and district and I wanted to acknowledge that. As Mayor, my doors were open to everybody.
I realised the city and district was being forgotten about, the Glenshane was like a roadblock. We have a real gem here, we have the Wild Atlantic Way, the North Coast.
"I did my best with the Irish Government and British Government to promote tourism and gained the respect of the business community. I want to build on this as an elected representative."
During his time as Mayor, Graham Warke raised tens of thousands for his nominated charity, Foyle Down Syndrome Trust.
He said: "This week is World Down Syndrome Week. I was thrilled to support Foyle Down Syndrome as my Mayor’s Charity.
"We raised a lot of money and the organisation has a minibus now from the efforts that were made by every school, families, community organisations and kids coming in with their pocket money. Everyone rallied around the Mayors charity."
Graham Warke highlighted issues that he is seeking to address in his council campaign.
He said: "We are going through financial difficulties in Council at the minute. We need to create jobs and support businesses in the rural setting, and support the farming community.
"We also need to build bridges. There are a lot of unsung heroes that I have met. There is one peace bridge in this city but they have built a hundred bridges between communities.
"There is so much potential in this city and it needs to be highlighted. We want young people to stay here and I want to stand up and fight for the North West."
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