Councillor’s dress to impress motion passed by KCC

CLLR Pat McCarthy’s motion that all councillors should show respect for the office they hold by dressing respectfully was greeted with a mixed response at Monday’s meeting of Kerry County Council.

Cllr McCarthy said he was recently approached by three tourists who said they couldn’t believe how some politicians dressed in the Houses of Parliament. “We represent most kinds of people and this is not a reflection on most politicians. I’m calling on the ethics committee to establish what dress code should be at county council level,” he said.

The sartorial slant to the debate was a mix of derision and full support for Cllr McCarthy. Cllr Johnny Healy-Rae said fashion was not one of his strong points and “so long as the bare essentials would be covered,” he was happy. Mayor of Kerry Michael O’Shea and Cllr Dan McCarthy said they supported Cllr McCarthy ‘110 percent’ citing his ‘courage’ in tabling such a motion.

This was met with dismay by Cllr Toiréasa Ferris who said expressions of ‘courage’ over something like a dress code was a bit over the top. “All members of this chamber appreciate the role they hold. Preference for a dress code is subjective,” said Cllr Ferris who rejected the assertion that someone’s socio-economic background can be attributed to how they dress and strongly opposed the motion.

Cllr John Joe Culloty said it was ‘embarrassing’ looking at some members of the Dáil, while Cllr Norma Foley said there was some merit to Cllr McCarthy’s proposal. Cllr Foley took exception to any suggestion of a link between dress code and socio-economic background.

However, Cllr McCarty wished to clarify he did not in any way wish to link how someone dressed with their background and that his motivation for the motion was based on Dáil debates on the issue. “I would not be so presumptuous as to say what the correct dress code would be. All the members in this chamber are dressed respectably.” The motion was passed after a vote among councillors.

Cllr Pat McCarthy