Councillor Finlay Carson has been selected by the Dumfries and Galloway Scottish Conservatives and Unionists to contest the Scottish Parliament seat of Galloway and West Dumfries in next year’s election for Holyrood, following the announcement by Alex Fergusson MSP that he is to stand down after 17 years. Speaking after Councillor Carson’s selection was confirmed, Alex Fergusson said:-
“I have known Finlay Carson for a long time now and worked closely with him as a local Councillor. The campaign he fought for Westminster last year was remarkably successful in that he increased the number of Conservative and Unionists votes and beat Labour into third place by some distance. Given the SNP ‘tsunami’ that engulfed the whole country at that time, it was a remarkable achievement. But I know Finlay’s heart lies in Holyrood and, as a local man through and through, with a deep understanding of the issues that face our rural communities, I have no hesitation in backing him 100% as he seeks to win the seat in 2016.
Finlay Carson was named by Ruth Davidson, Leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, as a ‘rising star’, and following his selection she said:- ‘Finlay is an outstanding candidate and a real advocate for Dumfries and Galloway and the wider region. Not only is Finlay deeply rooted in the community he seeks to serve, but he is one of a new and upcoming generation of Scottish Conservatives and Unionists who are making their mark on the party and will, I am certain, make a significant contribution to public life in Scotland if he’s elected to Holyrood in May”.
Finlay Carson said:-
“I am absolutely delighted to have been given this vote of confidence by local members, and I will work as hard as I can to hold this seat for the Scottish Conservative and Unionist party that has made such good strides under Ruth Davidson’s leadership. I am a firm believer in a devolved Scotland with tax raising powers playing its full part in the United Kingdom and I want to champion the issues that so affect this part of Scotland in our Scottish Parliament. Campaigning for Westminster was a great experience, but my aim has always been to represent the Constituency where I was born and bred and have made my home. I look forward to the campaign to come.
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