An outgoing Kerry councillor says some constituents expect local representatives to attend all funerals and local events.
Fine Gael councillor Aoife Thornton, who was first elected ten years ago, announced last week she would not be contesting this summer’s local elections.
She says she’s leaving politics for family reasons, adding it’s hard to marry life as a Kerry county councillor and being a mother of three children.
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Cllr Thornton says there’s an expectation among some constituents that local representatives should attend all funerals and function in their areas.
She says this adds a lot of pressure on top of the usual demands of the job.
