by Alan Jacques
FORMER Mayor Kevin Sheahan’s recent three-day trip to Boston cost over €2,712 more than originally estimated by Limerick city and county council.
At a special meeting held in the Dooradoyle council chamber on April 15 last, a local authority administrator stated that the visit by Cllr Sheahan and one official would cost around €5,100. However, the Limerick Post has learned this week that the tab for the US trip actually came to €7,812.
The flights cost €2,708 with the bill for accommodation for three nights at the four-star Renaissance Boston Waterfront coming to €3,906. A further subsistence payment of €1,144 was also made to the travelling councillor and his travelling local authority companion.
During the meeting at County Hall prior to his visit, Cllr Sheahan explained that he hoped his visit would yield benefits for Limerick in the areas of tourism, culture, community and economic development. The Mayor also informed the meeting that there were now daily flights between Shannon and Boston and that this should have a positive effect for tourism in both cities.
He had originally proposed to go on an 18-day tour of four cities in the United States to include New Brunswick, Boston, Kansas and Santa Clara. However, mediation from Fine Gael and members of his own party forced him to cut his trip dramatically. The trip was proposed and seconded by Fianna Fail councillors Kieran O’Hanlon and Mike Donegan.
The former Fianna Fail mayor touched down in Boston at 6.41pm on Monday May 25 and arrived back in Shannon at 6.15am on Thursday May 28. During his stay, Cllr Sheahan met with Irish-American Mayor of Boston Marty Walsh and his team.
“During discussions, I initiated the process of exploring a twinning arrangement between Limerick and Boston and I look forward to this process being finalised over the coming months,” the Askeaton politician said on his return.
The first mayor of Limerick City and County also availed of the opportunity while in Massachusetts to visit the headquarters of Analog Devices which employs over 1,000 people at its state-of-the-art Limerick facility.
“I particularly wanted to express my appreciation to its management for the continued presence, growth and expansion of the multi-million euro Limerick plant which I know was appreciated,” Cllr Sheahan explained.
Anti Austerity Alliance councillor Cian Prendiville was criticised by some members when he raised questions over the cost of the trip and asked to see a full itinerary during a special meeting in April.
Approval for the visit was passed by a majority of councillors with the three AAA members abstaining.
This week Cllr Prendiville said that the figures for the costs of the Boston trip prove the AAA’s theory about a “junket culture on the council”.
“People will not forget that Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Labour, Sinn Fein and the Independents all supported this trip, and it has been the AAA alone who have blown the whistle on this culture,” Prendiville told the Limerick Post.
“Earlier this year Caherdavin Library was shut, a ‘saving’ of €2,000 a year for the council. Now it emerges the Mayor has spent almost four times that on a three-day trip. Hotel bills of a grand a night, a further thousand euro in spending money, it all seems very lavish and unnecessary to me. We must remember this is all paid for through the taxes of ordinary working class people. The other parties would do well to remember all this the next time such trips are being discussed.”
Meanwhile, Cllr Sheahan’s controversial council trip to Calais this June to foster links in the area of lace production cost €904. Ahead of the visit to northern France the two leading Fianna Fáil members of Limerick City and County Council came to loggerheads over who should take up the invitation. Sheahan’s deputy mayor and party colleague Cllr Joe Crowley believed he was more deserving of the trip, which took place between June 18 and 20.
“As I am coming towards the end of my term as deputy mayor, it would be nice to have had some trip away,” Cllr Crowley commented at the time.
