A NORTHSIDE TD claims he’s being targeted as
“easy prey
? after questions were raised in relation to his former role as a volunteer director of a drugs rehabilitation service in Finglas and an unrelated severance payment he received from Dublin City Council.
Dublin North West TD Dessie Ellis (SF) failed to disclose how he was a director of the holistic drugs centre in Ethics in Public Office documentation submitted to the Dáil clerk when he was elected a TD last year.
In an interview with Northside People, the bewildered TD explained that his failure to disclose the information was
“completely innocent
? and as a result of a misunderstanding.
“I was on the board of Sankalpa but I have tendered my resignation of that position,
? he stated.
“It never crossed my mind to put it down when I was asked if I was a director of a company in the Ethics in Public Office documentation as my position on the board of the drug treatment centre was voluntary and unpaid.
?
Deputy Ellis has since amended the information with the Dáil clerk but is unsure what, if any, penalty there may be as a result of his error.
“I really don’t see what difference it makes and how I could be penalised for having once been a voluntary, unpaid member of a local drugs centre,
? Deputy Ellis told Northside People.
“It seems utterly petty that people are trying to hang me for this as well.
?
It was the second time in as many days that Deputy Ellis was embroiled in controversy.
He was first propelled into a media storm when it was reported that he’d received a e36,000 pay-off from Dublin City Council when he was elected to the Dáil last year.
Deputy Ellis was among five former city councillors who were given a lump sum for service when they were elected to the Dáil in February 2011.
According to Deputy Ellis, who feels he is being scapegoated, he was rightly entitled to the payment for his 12 years as a sitting councillor.
“This was a scheme brought in by the council in the early 2000s. It’s not like I set the rules,
? he said.
“I gave up my businesses when I was elected a local councillor and I dedicated every waking hour to serving the needs of the community for
?¬300 a week plus expenses.
“That was the difference between myself and the vast majority of councillors who have a second or primary job and income outside of their work as a local representative.
“But because I dedicated all my time to being a councillor I was living on the breadline on less than the minimum wage.
?
Deputy Ellis insisted that he got no financial assistance from the Sinn Fein party throughout his time as a councillor.
“A lot of people get redundancy packages and golden handshakes when they leave a place of employment but no one talks about that,
? he said.
Deputy Ellis said that in the region of
?¬2,000 of the
?¬36,000 was deducted in tax and the remainder was used to put his personal finances in order.
“I was way behind in my credit union payments so I’ve managed to clear that and other outstanding bills I had hanging over me,
? he added.
With a current salary of
?¬93,000 a year plus expenses, surely financial woes are a thing of the past for the TD?
“Life has certainly changed in many ways but being a TD also comes with unexpected financial drawbacks,
? he said.
“I don’t know if
‘enjoying’ the job is the right word. I’m just doing what I can to address serious problems in our country and with our Government.
“I was never interested in money, I just want to be as committed and dedicated to the job as I can be.
“Thankfully, though, I can now drive from A to B without worrying if I’ve enough money to put petrol into the car for the journey.
?