FORMER Tralee town councillors, who are now over 50, shared over €111,000 in retirement gratuities according to figures released by Kerry County Council.
The six who receive the payments are Ted Fitzgerald (FF) €52,623; Johnnie Wall (FF) €28,851; Pat Hussey (FG) €16,650; Gillian Wharton-Slattery (Lab) €13,667; Mairead Fernane (FG) €8,316 and Dan Galvin (Lab) €5,154.
Johnnie Wall, Ted Fitzgerald and Gillian Wharton Slattery lost their seats in May’s local elections while Pat Hussey, Mairead Fernane and Dan Galvin were not chosen as candidates.
In all, seventeen former members of Kerry County Council and the three former town councils will receive retirement payments amounting to almost €400,000.
Councillors who lose their seats or retire are entitled in law to gratuities once they reach 50 years of age.
These gratuity payments are paid by local authorities to councillors based on the number of years of service.
Here is the list of those who receive payments:
Tim Buckley (FG) €53,403
Pat Leahy (Lab) €53,403
Ted Fitzgerald (FF) €52,623
Paul O’Donoghue (FF) €50,222
Johnnie Wall (FF) €28,851
Sean O’Grady (Lab) €20,310
PJ Donovan (FG) €17,260
Denis Stack (FG) €17,077
Maria O’Gorman (FF) €16,030
Pat Hussey (FG) €16,650
Colin Miller (FF) €16,519
Gillian Wharton-Slattery (Lab) €13,667
Tim O’Leary (FG) €12,086
Sean Counihan (Lab) €8,422
Mairead Fernane (FG) €8,316
Dan Galvin (Lab) €5,154
Cathal Walshe (FG) €4,157
TOTAL €394,158
Bloody typical. The councillor gets thousands and doesn’t getting elected!!!!
And I’m still on the bread
I wonder how many gave donations to st Vincent de Paul.its outrageous the money payed out.i don’t think any other country pays out for losing a council seat.