Mulcahy has highest expenses

ACCORDING to figures released in the national media this week, Councillor Tony Mulcahy claimed the highest expenses of any Clare county councillor during 2009.
Councillor Mulcahy was Mayor of Clare for half of that year from June 2009, which increased his expenses. He stood over the figure, stating that if he were to be paid per man-hour he would be earning a lot more. His total expenses for the full year were €45,844.
“Of course, I had the highest expenses for 2009. I was the mayor for six months of that time. My mayoral allowance was €27,500, which after tax was a net salary of about €17,000. I stand over every cent I claimed, as they were all genuine expenses incurred. It’s important to note that in the full year as mayor I put up 48,000km in travel in Ireland driving myself. I attended a number of functions all over the country at which I represented Clare. I was also in New York for St Patrick’s Day and for the Clare Association dinner in November,” he said.
He added that he wasn’t quite sure exactly what this figure included and suggested that it possibly included his town council salary, which is €180 every month. “There are no expenses for town councillors in Shannon other than for the mayor of deputy mayor of Shannon representing the town at a function or for example, at a St Patrick’s Day Parade.”
He continued, “The role of mayor is 80% full time. A lot of work and time goes into the job and very little time for anything else, so if I was to be paid for man ours, it would be a lot more.”
Councillor Mulcahy added, “Rather than targeting the relatively low expenses councillors claim, people should take a much closer look at the exorbitant wages of some higher-paid civil servants, which are to the tune of €100,000 annually plus pensions.
“It gets a bit tiresome being asked every few months about expenses but I guess it’s part of being in a public role. The majority of councillors I know work very hard and all kinds of hours and their expenses are genuine. Anyone who wants to see what I do everyday is welcome to come along with me for a full week. I doubt I’d have any questions about my expenses then.”
Councillor Paul Murphy claimed the highest expenses in the Ennis East Electoral area during 2009, with a total expenses bill of €34,833. “I’ve nothing to hide in this figure. My monthly councillor wage was about €1200 a month gross. My expenses were a bit higher than other councillors in the area because there was a carryover of expenses from the previous years and I also attended more conferences in Ireland than the previous year. It’s important too that people know how much work we do. A lot of time is involved and the phone is never off and that’s seven days a week. A lot of the work is also out of hours on Saturdays or Sundays and even when I’m on holidays,” he commented.
Councillor Brian Meaney claimed the highest expenses, according to the report, in the Ennis West Electoral area, with an expenses bill for the full year of €34,870.
He was quick to point out that he was the only councillor in his area that had the full year of expenses, as Councillors James Breen, Tony Mulqueen and Tom McNamara were newly elected in June 2009, while Councillor Peter Considine had not worked a full year for health reasons.
“I get my €17,500 wage and €7,500 expenses, which I didn’t even claim all of. I’m not quite sure where the figure of €34,870 comes from and I think it is higher than I claimed. If it is correct, however, I can say without any question that every cent I claim is genuine and I am always very careful about expenses,” he said.
Councillor Pat Hayes claimed the highest expenses of €36,798 in the Killaloe Electoral area. While Councillor Madeline Taylor-Quinn had the highest expenses bill in the Kilrush area at €43,404. Neither was available for comment at the time of going to press.