My Passion in Politics

Cheryl Brownlee is a Councillor for the Carrick Castle DEA on Mid & East Antrim Borough Council. She has represented the area since 2014. As well as being an elected representative Cheryl is also a part-time firefighter and works in David Hilditch MLA’s constituency office. We spoke to her about her different roles.

How did you first get involved in politics?

I always had a passion for Northern Irish history and politics from a young age, but it was my final year in University that pushed me into the frontline. I focused my dissertation on the disconnect between the PUL community and local government.

This gave me an opportunity to talk to a number of community representatives and elected officials, one being David Hilditch DUP MLA who I instantly connected with due to his dedication to community development and ‘on the ground’ issues. I quickly realised I didn’t want to shout from the side-lines anymore. I wanted to get involved and do my bit to improve Northern Ireland and the Unionist cause. and a culture change around mental health.

Why did you decide to stand for elected politics?

It was David (Hilditch) who said to me, you’re already involved in the community and doing the work, why not stand for election. It wasn’t something I’d considered but I had a passion for helping people and that’s always been my drive. I suppose also at that time I felt there was no-one that reflected a 21-yearold single parent. It was an opportunity to break down the barriers and highlight concerns and improve life for those in a similar situation.

I’ve always looked at politics and thought it’s good to see someone who looks like you, dresses like you or talks like you and that hasn’t always been the case. It’s changing within the party though and we now are seeing new people coming forward from different backgrounds and with different experiences. That’s brilliant to see.

You’ve mentioned that you were a young single parent when you were first elected. How did you carve out the time for everything?

I found it extremely difficult, there’s no doubt about it, but if I want to do something I will do it, I’m very determined. I know at the time I couldn’t have done it without my mum, family & friends. That wider support was critical. Understanding bosses, a supportive husband and a serious caffeine addiction is what gets me through the day!

My daughter Brooke is now 11 but she’s grown up with me in Council. I tried to integrate her as much as possible and she was never far from my side. A lot of parents have mentioned that to me and hopefully it inspires others and makes politics more accessible.

Zoom meetings have been fantastic too. You can attend and contribute just as much as anyone else but without having to spend hours at the venue or the commute. Lyle, my son, was born during Covid and there was a Council meeting 3 days later that I was able to take part in and participate in; something I just couldn’t have done otherwise.

The project included the installation of benches with a “never lose hope’’ message and contact details for a 24/7 counselling service that is based in Ballymena. There was the ‘little library’ book swap in Shaftesbury Park, Carrickfergus with a focus on promoting good mental health. Local children drew images showing what makes them happy and those were incorporated into the library. The project itself was about creating a change in culture in Council, how we looked at mental health and incorporated it across the Council’s services.

As well as your Council duties you’re also a parttime firefighter. What made you decide to take on another role?

Landings’ and the buzzer went so I had to run. I’m pretty sure the camera was still on as I took off running. Everyone’s aware of it now and if the buzzer goes then I have to drop everything and go!

You received an award from NILGA for work on mental health in the Borough. Tell us about that.

Mental health provision is something I have and continue to champion. I was 19 when Brooke was born and I certainly struggled mentally. It was that period of time that I would often reflect back on, and see the need for better services, awareness

I’ve been in the Fire and Rescue Service for about 18 months now. It was during Covid when I first applied, and I don’t think my husband believed me that I’d go through with it but it was about creating a balance for me. My primary job is office based, which I love, but it can all be very much sitting at a computer, on the phone or meetings. I love sport and physical activity though so I wanted a challenge, to learn new skills and most of all help people within my community. I’m currently still in development, but my initial and BA training was very challenging but I loved every minute. How do you incorporate that in with your other commitments?

I’m on a daytime contract which requires me to be on-call between 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, although within those hours I have 10 free hours that I can use for meetings, picking the kids up etc.

I try and manage my leave so it doesn’t affect Council meetings, however, there was an occasion I was chair a meeting of The Royal

During the daytime there aren’t a huge number of calls, but you have to take every one seriously. You just don’t know what it will be and there’s a real excitement and adrenaline from the job, whether it’s attending a road traffic accident to being called out to Carrickfergus Dams to rescue a duck. Every day is different.

What advice or encouragement would you give to others thinking about getting involved in elected politics?

I’d say to anyone thinking about it just to speak to someone who’s already doing it. It’s daunting and there’s no point pretending otherwise but there is no better feeling than helping your community and it’s an extremely rewarding job. I think that if you’ve got the passion and the drive and you’re there for the right reasons then you can’t go far wrong.

Most of all though just be yourself. You don’t have to try and dress like ‘a politician’ or to look a certain way. You’re there because of you and if you’re genuine then people will see that!