Jerry Buttimer
Jerry Buttimer is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has been a Senator for the Labour Panel since 2016, previously from 2007 to 2011. He served as Leader of Seanad Éireann and Leader of Fine Gael in the Seanad from 2016 to 2020. He served as a Teachta Dála for the Cork South-Central constituency from 2011 to 2016.
He studied for the priesthood for six years at St Patrick's College, Maynooth as a candidate for the Diocese of Cork and Ross. He was a classmate of Bishop Fintan Monahan of Killaloe.
He was first elected to Cork City Council in 2004. He was an unsuccessful candidate at the 2007 general election for the Cork South-Central constituency, but was subsequently elected to the Seanad. He was Fine Gael Seanad spokesperson on Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in the 23rd Seanad. He is a former Secondary School teacher and was Director of Adult Education at Ballincollig Community School.
In April 2012, Buttimer came out as gay, the first Fine Gael TD to do so, saying: "I am a TD who just happens to be gay – it is just one little composition of the story that is me and I will continue to be the politician I was yesterday."
He is chair of the Fine Gael LGBT group.
He was critical of the 2012 boundary commission report, which transferred the areas of Bishopstown and Glasheen from the Cork South–Central constituency to Cork North-Central. Both areas were considered his political base in the constituency. Despite predictions that he would move to Cork North-Central at the next election, he announced in August 2012 that he would contest the next election in Cork South-Central.
He lost his seat at the 2016 general election. After his election as a member of Seanad Éireann in April 2016, he was appointed by the Taoiseach as Leader of Seanad Éireann and Leader of Fine Gael in the Seanad. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Cork South-Central at the 2020 general election. He was re-elected to the Seanad in 2020. He has been Leas-Chathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann since 7 July 2020.
