Jennifer Whitmore
TD
Whitmore in 2022
Teachta Dála
Assumed office
February 2020
ConstituencyWicklow
Personal details
BornJune 1974 (age 49) [1]
Wexford, Ireland
Political partySocial Democrats
SpouseTony Whitmore
Children4
Alma mater
Websitejenniferwhitmore.ie

Jennifer Whitmore (born July 1974) is an Irish Social Democrats politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wicklow constituency since the 2020 general election.[2][3]

Early life and education

Whitmore is from Wexford. She gained two diplomas at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and later graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Science and Ecology from the University of Ulster. During the ten years she resided in Australia, she studied Environmental Law at the University of Sydney.[4]

Career

Whitmore has worked in both local and international ecology and environmentalism as well as with the Government of New South Wales, Australia. In 2015, she founded the East Wicklow Rivers Trust.[citation needed]

She was elected to represent the Greystones local electoral area on the Wicklow County Council, following the 2014 local elections. In July 2015, she helped co-found the Social Democrats as a party and became the party's Spokesperson for Children.[5]

Whitmore was elected as a Social Democrat TD for the Wicklow constituency following the 2020 general election. In the election, she came ahead of former Social Democrats TD and leader Stephen Donnelly who left the party after just one year, citing difficulties in cooperating with the other leaders.[6]

In September 2021, Whitmore tabled a Just Transition Bill in the Dáil; the Bill was deliberately almost identical to one the Green Party had tabled in 2017 while in opposition but had been voted down. At the time, Green leader Eamon Ryan called their proposed bill a "critical piece of the architecture" of any policy on climate action.[7] One amendment Whitmore did make however was to define the term "Just Transition", as the previous version of the bill did not. Whitmore said the bill would define "just transition" as a green transition that ensures the economic and social consequences of the climate emergency are managed to maximise "opportunities of decent work for all, reduce inequalities, promote social justice, and support industries, workers and communities negatively affected".[7][8]

Personal life

Whitmore lives in Delgany, County Wicklow, with her husband Tony and their four children.[3]

References

  1. ^ Ryan, Tim. Nealon's Guide to the 33rd Dáil and 26th Seanad and the 2019 Local and European Elections. Irish Times. p. 160.
  2. ^ "Jennifer Whitmore". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  3. ^ a b O'Brien, Carl (11 February 2020). "Election 2020: Jennifer Whitmore (Social Democrats)". Irish Times. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  4. ^ "About". Jennifer Whitmore. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Whitmore will be candidate in the next General Election". Bray People. 22 September 2017. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2020. Cllr Whitmore is a founding member of the Social Democrats and has represented the people of the Greystones Municipal District as a councillor since 2014.
  6. ^ Doyle, Kevin (5 September 2016). "'Some partnerships simply don't work' - Stephen Donnelly quits Social Democrats in major blow for party". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  7. ^ a b Moore, Aoife (15 September 2021). "Social Democrats to table 'just transition' bill to manage climate change consequences". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  8. ^ Crosson, Kayle (17 September 2021). "Jennifer Whitmore on the Just Transition Bill". Retrieved 15 October 2021.

External links

Current Teachtaí Dála (TDs)
Teachtaí Dála (TDs) for the Wicklow constituency
Social Democrats
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