Councillor who got €46,000 says he's value for money
Thursday March 15 2007
Figures released yesterday reveal that Kilkee councillor and former mayor Patrick Keane (FF) received €46,040 in salaries and expenses in 2006.
Cllr Keane was the Mayor of Clare until July of last year and would have received €12,500 as part of his mayoral allowance.
Cllr Keane went on only one overseas trip last year - to New York for St Patrick's Day.
His foreign travel is likely to be dwarfed by the county's current mayor, Cllr Flan Garvey (FF).
As a result of his mayoral allowance for the second half of last year, Cllr Garvey received the third highest amount in payments, receiving €37,130.
Cllr Garvey is flying to Chicago and New York this month and at the end of the month is going to Australia for a three-week trip.
Cllr Garvey already visited Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Phoenix, Arizona, as part of his mayoral duties last year.
Cllr Keane yesterday claimed that taxpayers got value from the work councillors did.
"We don't get half the compensation in the amount of mileage we do on behalf of constituents but we are not going to complain about it as we knew about that when going for election," he said.
"Last year, I did 55,000 miles and needed two sets of tyres, and this year I'll be doing 45,000 miles. It hasn't eased off."
During his time as mayor, Cllr Keane endured a health scare and he said: "I ran myself into the ground. I overdid it, but thankfully I'm okay now."
He said he spends an average of €240 on his mobile phone each month. New regulations introduced by Environment Minister Dick Roche in January will give councillors a €600 allowance towards mobile phone usage each year.
The published figures show the councillors' salaries, which are taxable, monthly allowances and payments for attending conferences and overseas trips.
- Gordon Deegan
