Mary Scanlon

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Mary Scanlon (born 25 May 1947, Dundee) is a Scottish Conservative & Unionist politician, and Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Highlands and Islands region from 1999 to 2006.

She resigned from her list seat to contest the Moray by-election caused by the death of Scottish National Party MSP Margaret Ewing, but was defeated in the by-election by Richard Lochhead of the SNP. Her list seat was taken up by Dave Petrie.

She has served as health spokeswoman for the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party and on her resignation was their spokesman for Communities.

She did not mention that she is a member of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party in some of her campaign literature at the Moray by-election. Her campaign team were accused of sending handwritten letters to electors written and signed by two independent councillors, however it materialsed the councillors had given their permssion (changing their minds under SNP pressure) and the issue not considered serious; neither the police nor the electoral commission investigated any further. The issue brought huge negative publicity in the local paper, The Northern Scot, which is edited by Pauline Taylor, an SNP party member.