THE Mayor of South Dublin said he has been
“overwhelmed
? by the public reaction to his recent gesture to give up part of his
?¬45,000 mayoral allowance.
Cllr Dermot Looney of the Labour Party, who was elected Mayor earlier this summer, announced last week that that he would
“surrender
? part of his allowance in a bid to give something back to the community.
“I call this project the Mayor’s Fund,
? he said.
“I have surrendered
?¬7,000 of the
?¬45,000 Mayoral allowance, with my colleague Deputy Mayor Eamon Tuffy giving
?¬3,000 of the Deputy Mayoral allowance, to create a new
?¬10,000 fund.
“When I formally launch it in the coming days it will be open to community organisations working in the area of youth and sport, older people and the environment, all three of which I had outlined as priorities for my year as Mayor.
?
Cllr Looney explained that he felt people were
“fed up with a system where those in positions of power gain personally while the majority in society struggle to make ends meet
?.
“When it comes to the pay of politicians, special advisors and senior civil servants, along with scandalous pensions and other waste in politics, that righteous anger is fused with a jaded disappointment,
? he stated.
“The most important reason for doing this is to allow our local community organisations and clubs to apply for the kind of small grants (
?¬250 or
?¬500) which can make the difference in their day-to-day activities or events. But I wanted to make a political point by taking a pay cut too.
?
The reaction to Cllr Looney’s move has been predominantly positive among those commenting on his opinion piece published last week on thejournal.ie website.
“Very happy to see him use the money for homeless accommodation and attacking TDs’ salaries,
? wrote one.
“Mayor: I’ve surrendered part of allowance for good of society – what? He definitely cannot be an Irish politician,
? added another.
However, some comments raised the issue of whether there is too much bureaucracy among Dublin’s four local authorities.
“Why is there not just a single mayor of Dublin?
? asked one.
“The salary shouldn’t be paid in the first place.
?
Another added:
“Why pay them? The mayor is a figurehead and pay should reflect that…ie none.
?
Cllr Looney acknowledged the criticism but he defended the role of politicians in general.
“We shouldn’t seek to
‘pauperise’ public representatives,
? he said.
“Not paying politicians at all, or giving only small salaries, would make politics the exclusive preserve of the rich, as it once was. It is a precarious profession and deserving of a decent wage.
“But overpayment merely feeds into the cynicism there is around politics and politicians.
?
And in response to claims that this was merely a publicity stunt, Cllr Looney pointed out that this cut runs in tandem with an earlier decision he made alongside 13 others on South Dublin County Council to refuse expenses for attending conferences at home and abroad.
“Such savings were diverted into providing homeless accommodation in the county,
? he explained.
“I have also pushed the council to publish all expenses and pay online and I post my own expenses every year.
?
Cllr Looney now hopes that his gesture will open the debate on politicians’ pay and expenses.
“With the country in its sixth year of an economic crisis, is it so wrong to ask that ministers and others in receipt of sums over
?¬87,258 per annum are reverted to the TDs’ standalone salary?
? he asked.