A county councillor has urged Presidential candidate Peter Casey to give his €100,000 expenses to the people of Donegal.
Donegal county councillor Jimmy Kavanagh said there are many deserving charities in Donegal which the millionaire businessman could help.
And if he didn’t want to give it to one particular group, he could give the cash to Donegal County Council to go towards improving roads or water supply.
Councillor Kavanagh said “One of Peter Casey’s ideas in running for the Presidency was that he would not accept a salary and instead give it to a different county council each month and let them choose a suitable charity.
“He performed really well in the election and as a result will have his expenses returned by the State, given that Peter is a big hearted man maybe he would consider donating that money to Donegal county council instead of taking it back. It would prove that Peter is indeed true to his word and would have acted on his promise had he been elected.
There are many worthy causes in the County that could make great use of that money, Donegal Hospice springs to mind or Pieta House or indeed the Donegal Travellers Project.
“I would urge Peter Casey to investigate if it is possible for him to forego the return of his expenses and put it to good hear in the County where he lives, it would also be a nice gesture given that Peter pays his income taxes in the United States rather than to the Irish State.
Casey told RTE’s Today With Miriam Show that he will be recouping his expenses from the Presidential election and will donate the cash to a charity of his choice.
He added that he plans to run in the next general election and will top the poll.
Although Fianna Fáil has appeared to distance themselves from the Greencastle-based businessman, he says he needs to align himself with a party.
He said that although he has no Fianna Fáil connections he would like to contest the next general election in Donegal as a candidate for the party.
“You have to be aligned to a party to be successful,” he said.
He said that the people who had voted for him, had done so out of frustration and managed to take 23% of the overall vote.
The Confidence and Supply Agreement, between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, has not worked to anyone’s benefit, they wanted to send a message, “to show how disconnected they are, the feeling that there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
Mr Casey said he suspected that Mr Martin would not take his call and that he did not have his number.
However, he added “They definitely need someone like Peter Casey.
“I will definitely top the poll when I stand in Donegal.”
He said Donegal needs a strong candidate saying local TD Charlie McConalogue is a very strong candidate but had a swipe at another Donegal TD, Pat the Cope Gallagher.
“Pat the Cope Gallagher said he was passionate about standing for Donegal, then he put his hat in the ring for Ceann Comhairle. That’s a bit disingenuous.”