SINN Féin has selected councillor Danny Baker as a candidate for West Belfast in the upcoming Assembly election.  
 
This comes after Assembly Speaker Alex Maskey announced earlier this year that he will stand down at the next election which is due to take place in May next year. Last month former World Handball champion Aisling Reilly replaced Fra McCann as a West Belfast MLA for the party.
 
Speaking after his selection, Danny Baker said it is an honour to have been selected to contest the election in West Belfast. 
 
“As a community activist that works alongside local residents to deliver for our community day and daily, I understand fully what is required to ensure real change that will benefit families and workers," he said.
 
“If elected, I will give people a voice at the heart of the Assembly to ensure families are heard and their needs are met. 
 
“Our community has come a long way in recent years with major investment into facilities and services transforming people’s lives – and I will make it my priority to continue driving forward this change to deliver world-class youth facilities, more homes, better jobs and properly funded mental health services.
 
“This is an exciting time for West Belfast with enormous opportunities on the horizon and I will do all that I can to maximise these opportunities to benefit families and workers.”

The former Lord Mayor has been a councillor in the Colin area since January 2019. During his time as Mayor, the father-of-three used his term to highlight the important issues of climate and youth engagement. As a community focused public representative, he is involved in many local campaigns and initiatives. He is on the management committee of Lagmore Youth Project and is a volunteer Youth Worker in the area, helping to provide services for young people.
 
Danny was centrally involved in the successful campaign to secure £15 million for the redevelopment of Brooke Leisure Centre and has also been actively involved in supporting local campaigns including the Sunflower campaign to raise awareness of Blood Cancer and the organ donation campaign.
 
Danny is currently working to secure new youth facilities and school buildings in the Colin area.
 
Cllr Baker has also served as the Chairperson of the People and Communities Committee in Belfast City Council and is currently chair of the council’s Brexit Committee. He has also chaired the West Belfast Area Working Group.
 
Welcoming the news, Sinn Féin Leas Uachtarán Michelle O’Neill said: “I am delighted that Danny Baker has been selected as the candidate for Sinn Féin in West Belfast.
 
“Danny Baker is a champion of the West Belfast community, leading from the front through grassroots activism and delivering services and facilities to improve people’s quality of life.
 
“Danny would be an amazing asset for the people of West Belfast in the Assembly as someone who fully understands the needs of the community and the opportunities to deliver for families and workers.”