SINN Féin Councillor Stephen Magennis is to step down after over a decade of representing the Colin area.
Last Tuesday's meeting of Belfast City Council heard that it was to be the last meeting of Cllr Magennis, who will step down to take care of his family. The West Belfast representative has previously spoken publicly about his wife's cancer diagnosis in 2020.
Cllr Magennis was first elected to Lisburn City Council in 2011 when the Colin area fell under the jurisdiction of Lisburn's Dunmurry Cross District. He was one of five Sinn Féin councillors elected in the constituency – the highest ever electoral return for the party in Lisburn.
He was elected to Belfast City Council in 2014 with the creation of the Colin District Electoral Area, which came following the abolition of the old Lisburn City Council – now Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council.
In 2019, Cllr Magennis was returned to his seat with over 1,600 first preference votes in the local government election.
He first came to prominence as a representative of the Colin Safer Neighbourhood Project, in which he has been a key driving force for over 20 years. He is also a member of the Colin Neighbourhood Partnership and served as volunteer coordinator at Sally Gardens.
Cllr Magennis' planned resignation has sparked speculation as to who will succeed him on Belfast City Council, where his successor will be formally co-opted in the weeks ahead.
It is understood that the party is currently accepting nominations from amongst its membership to replace Cllr Magennis, with Colin activists Laura Kelly and Joe Baker believed to be front-runners.
The former is the brother of Sinn Féin Councillor Danny Baker, whose council seat could also be up for grabs in the months ahead. In November, Sinn Féin announced that Danny Baker would stand in May's Assembly election. If he is elected, the party will have to co-opt another candidate to take his place on Belfast City Council.
Anyone coopted in the the coming weeks and months will have a short term in office with the next local government election scheduled for May 2023.
