Mayors claim more than €40,000 in 2013

Former Mayor of Clare Pat Daly and current Mayor Joe Arkins have topped the list detailing how much Clare County Councillors have recouped in allowances, expenses and miscellaneous payments in addition to their basic salaries of €16,565. On the other end of the scale, Councillor Johnny Flynn claimed no expenses

Ennis East
Pat Daly (€40,294.83)
SERVING as the county’s mayor for the first half of the year, Fianna Fáil’s Councillor Pat Daly has claimed the second-highest amount of €40,294.83, just €850.66 below current mayor Councillor Joe Arkins. A total of €3,907.04 was claimed for attending 10 conferences and events.
As well as the councillor’s basic pay of €16,565, which is subject to taxation, and the annual allowance of €5,339, Councillor Daly received the mayor’s allowance of €13,500.
Councillor Daly represented the county in both Chicago and New York over the St Patrick’s Day festivities last year, claiming subsistence expenses of €717.72. His mobile phone allowance was €212.07 from July to December.
The councillor attended 20 meetings of Clare County Council, six electoral area meetings, four strategic policy meetings, six corporate meetings, three community and tourism meetings and four planning meetings.

Tommy Brennan (€25,662.52)
THE Independent Ennis East Electoral Area councillor claimed €3,508.52 for attending nine conferences in 2013. As well as the councillor’s basic pay of €16,565, the annual allowance of €5,339 was claimed.
From January to June 2013, €100 was claimed under the mobile phone allowance, while €150 was claimed for the remainder of the year.
Councillor Brennan attended 20 meetings of Clare County Council, six electoral area meetings and four strategic policy meetings.

Johnny Flynn (€16,565)
ENNIS East Electoral Area Fine Gael Councillor Johnny Flynn claimed no expenses or allowances for 2013 and received the councillor’s basic pay of €16,565.
In 2013, he attended 20 meetings of Clare County Council, five electoral area meetings, four strategic policy meetings, four fire section meetings and one planning meeting. No expenses were claimed for attendance to conferences.

Paul Murphy (€26,680.42)
FINE Gael Councillor Paul Murphy claimed €184.50 for a phone and attended 10 conferences, which, including the cost of the phone, came to €4,532.96 in expenses. The councillor claimed a total of €243.46 in mobile phone allowances, €65.97 for the first six months of the year and €177.49 from July to December. He attended 19 meetings of Clare County Council, six electoral area meetings, four strategic policy committee meetings, three corporate meetings and four planning meetings.

Sonny Scanlan (€26,233.78)
COUNCILLOR Sonny Scanlan attended nine conferences and events, claiming €3,970. The Fine Gael councillor’s mobile phone expenses for the first half of the year came in at €176.44, with a further €183.34 claimed from July to December.
A total of 18 meetings of Clare County Council were attended by the Quin councillor, six electoral area meetings, four strategic policy meetings and one planning meeting.

Ennis West
James Breen (€25,846.39)
THE independent councillor spent €143.99 on office supplies and attended nine conferences and events. The total expenses, including the office supplies, came in at €3,684.05. As well as the basic salary and annual allowance, Councillor Breen claimed a total of €258.34 in mobile phone allowances, €149.28 from January to June and €109.06 from July to December.
He attended 20 meetings of Clare County Council, six electoral area meetings and four strategic policy committee meetings.

Tom McNamara (€26,193.08)
FIANNA Fáil’s Tom McNamara claimed €659.99 for a laptop and a further €441.18 on a printer last year. Seven conferences were also attended by the councillor, which, including the cost of the printer and laptop, came to a total of €4,122. Councillor McNamara received the councillor’s basic pay of €16,565 and annual allowance of €5,339. His total mobile phone allowance for the year came in at €167.08.
The councillor attended 20 meetings of Clare County Council, six electoral area meetings, five strategic policy committee meetings, one roads meeting and six planning meetings.

Brian Meaney (€24,175.33)
FIANNA Fáil Councillor Brian Meaney claimed a total of €455.10 on a mobile phone and received €260 due to underpayment in respect of mileage in 2012. Six conferences were attended, which, including the phone and mileage, came to a total of €2,072. 63. The basic salary as well as an annual allowance of €5,024.51, were received. A total of €513.19 was claimed in mobile phone expenses for the year.
Fifteen meetings of Clare County Council were attended by Councillor Meaney, five electoral area meetings, one strategic policy committee and one housing meeting.

Tony Mulqueen (€26,092.25)
COUNCILLOR Tony Mulqueen attended a total of nine conferences and events in 2013, claiming €4,021.95 in expenses. The Fine Gael councillor received the basic pay of €16,565 and the annual allowance of €5,339. His mobile phone allowance was €85.24 for the first six months of the year and €81.06 from July to December.
He attended 20 meetings of Clare County Council, five electoral area meetings, three strategic policy committee meetings, four fire service meetings and five planning meetings.

Ennistymon
Joe Arkins (€41,145.49)
MAYOR of Clare Joe Arkins topped the list with his combined total of €41,145.49. He claimed €4,400 for attending 11 conferences, as well as a mobile phone allowance of €190.38 from January to June and €22.29 from July to December.
Apart from his basic pay of €16,565, he claimed an annual allowance of €5,339 and received a mayor’s allowance, which is subject to taxation, of €13,500. He also claimed €704.43 in subsistence for attending the Milwaukee Irish Festival and €424.39 in subsistence for the Clare Association New York trip in November 2013.

Michael Kelly (€26,772.25)
COUNCILLOR Michael Kelly claimed €4,100 for attending eight conferences in 2013. In addition to his councillor’s basic pay of €16,565, he claimed an annual allowance of €5,985.47 and mobile phone allowance of €121.78.

Richard Nagle (€37,031.74)
FIANNA Fáil councillor Richard Nagle picked up €37,031.74 in allowances and expenses from Clare County Council in 2013. €10,500 of that figure is attributed to the fact that Councillor Nagle was chairman of the Strategic Policy Committee and of the County Development Board.
He attended six conferences in 2013 at a cost of €3,509.80.

Bill Slattery (€27,645.29)
Councillor Bill Slattery claimed €27,645.29 between the annual allowance and expenses.

Michael Hillery (€27,477.45)
Councillor Michael Hillery claimed a total of €27,477.45.

Killaloe
Joe Cooney (€32,784)
IN East Clare, Councillor Joe Cooney attended seven seminar/conference events in the year 2013, clocking up €3,502.26 in expenses.
In addition to this, he also claimed for €262.27 for office supplies; €6,308.71 under annual allowance, €6,000 of an allowance as chair of the Strategic Policy Committee and mobile phone allowances of €145.76 in total.
In addition to Councillor Cooney’s basic pay, the combined total of all items claimed for by the O’Callaghan’s Mills-based politician came to €32,784.

Pat Burke (€28,422.31)
WHITEGATE Councillor Pat Burke attended eight seminars/conferences in 2013, accumulating expenses of €3,655.99 and also claimed €599.01 for a laptop.
He claimed an annual allowance of €7,493.90 and a mobile phone allowance of €108.41, in addition to his basic pay.

Pat Hayes (€27,384.98)
FEAKLE Councillor Pat Hayes has claimed for 10 seminars/conference events, grossing €3,590.55 in expenses. He also claimed under conferences for office supplies of €331.45. As well as his basic pay, he claimed an annual allowance of €6,416.45 and a mobile phone allowance of €481.53.

Cathal Crowe (€27,853.60)
COUNCILLOR Cathal Crowe claimed €1,099 for a laptop and more than €3,000 for eight conferences, including €522 for a Budget 2013 Seminar in County Louth in January 2013.
His combined total of €27,853 for 2013 included €16,565 for his basic pay, an annual allowance of €6,685, a mobile phone allowance of €255 from July to December and €157 of a mobile phone allowance from January to June.

Pascal Fitzgerald (€32,551.86)
IN addition to receiving €568 for an iPad, Councillor Pascal Fitzgerald received more than €3,400 for attending six conferences, including €670 for attending the 2013 Budget Seminar in County Louth in January 2013.
The Labour councillor received a top-up payment worth €4,500 for being deputy mayor, basic pay allowance worth €16,565 and mobile phone allowances totalling about €255.

Michael Begley (€28,038.29)
COUNCILLOR Michael Begley claimed €3,894 for attending nine conferences, including €637 to attend the 2013 Budget Seminar in Louth.
The Independent councillor received an annual allowance of €7,386, councillor’s basic pay of €16,565 and mobile phone allowances totalling €192.

Kilrush
Gabriel Keating (€29,515.10)
FINE Gael county councillor Gabriel Keating topped the expenses list for the six West Clare area councillors in 2013. He received a total of €29,515.10.
On top of the annual allowance of €16,565, Councillor Keating received €3,852.01 for attending eight conferences, including four that were tourism related.

Christy Curtin (€19,974.56)
THE councillor with the lowest expenses claim in the West Clare Electoral Area was Councillor Christy Curtin, who received €19,974.56, which included €3,806.65 for attending 12 conferences across the country.

Pat Keane (€28,878.06)
COUNCILLOR Pat Keane was paid the second-highest expenses in the electoral area with a total of €28,878.06. He attended six conferences at a cost of €3,999.12.

Bill Chambers (€27,656.80)
FIANNA Fáil councillor Bill Chambers received €27,656.80 in expenses, including attendance at nine conferences. Two of the conferences were held in Rosscarbery, Cork in December 2013.

Oliver Garry (€26,489.26)
COUNCILLOR Oliver Garry’s figure amounted to €26,489.26. Councillor Garry attended four conferences in Bundoran in Donegal.

PJ Kelly (€25,965.50)
COUNCILLOR PJ Kelly had the second-lowest claim in the electoral area with €25,965.50. Like Councillor Garry, Councillor Kelly showed a particular affiliation with Bundoran in Donegal, also attending four conferences there.

Shannon
John Crowe (€37,728.25)
COUNCILLOR John Crowe received most payments of the six Shannon Electoral Area members with €37,728.25, much of it resulting from two positions he held during 2013.
As well as basic pay and the annual allowance that goes to the members, he received an additional deputy mayor’s allowance of €4,500 and one for being chair of a Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) of €6,000. His attendance at conferences led to spending of €4,022.34 over the course of the year.

Patricia McCarthy (€34,177.10)
THERE were payments of €34,177.10 to Councillor Patricia McCarthy. This figure included a €6,000 allowance received for chairing an SPC and €1,500 for chairing the County Development Board.

PJ Ryan (€27,212.09)
INDEPENDENT Councillor PJ Ryan received payments of €27,212.09 for 2013.

Sean McLoughlin (€27,055.70)
FINE Gael’s Sean McLoughlin received €27,055.70.

Gerry Flynn (€25,994.18)
INDEPENDENT Councillor Gerry Flynn received €25,994.18.

Pat McMahon (€25,966.49)
FIANNA Fáil’s Pat McMahon received €25,966.49.

 

Elsewhere, a sum of €51,313.30 was made in payments to elected members of Shannon Town Council last year.

Three of the nine members of the council, Councillors Patricia McCarthy, Gerry Flynn and Sean McLoughlin, did not receive basic pay as members of the council, as they are also members of Clare County Council.

Both Councillors McLoughlin and McCarthy received travel and subsistence payments of €908.07 for travelling to two events organised by the Association of Municipal Authorities of Ireland (AMAI). There was a payment of €332.31 for its spring seminar and one of €574.76 for its annual conference. They both also received annual allowances of €2,036, as did all the other members. In total, both Councillors McLoughlin and McCarthy received payments of €2,944.07 each.

Councillor Flynn’s only payment was the annual allowance of €2,036.
The six other members of the council, Tony McMahon, Greg Duff, Michael Fleming, Mary Brennan, Cathy McCafferty and Vincent Coleman all received the same annual allowance of €2,036, with basic pay (subject to taxation) of €4,160.94.

In addition, Councillor Tony McMahon received a travel and subsistence payment of €232 for attending a European Diploma Award Ceremony in Strasbourg from June 26 to 28. He also received a mobile phone allowance of €117.78. Total payments to him in 2013 amounted to €6,546.72.

His party colleague, Greg Duff, received €630 travel and subsistence for travelling to the European Youth Forum in France. Councillor Duff also received a mobile phone allowance of €103.48.

Extra payments to Michael Fleming included €506.67 for travel and subsistence, associated with travelling to New Jersey and New York for St Patrick’s Day. He also received a mayor’s allowance of €2,000 and a mobile phone allowance of €400.

The only payment to Mary Brennan outside of her annual allowance and basic pay was a mobile phone allowance of €400.
Councillor Cathy McCafferty received an MPC Chairpersons allowance of €500 and a mobile phone allowance of €365.66.

Councillor Vincent Coleman received a travel and subsistence payment of €230.44. Other payments to him included an MPC Chairpersons allowance of €500 and a mobile phone allowance of €221.49.