Jerry Buttimer

Who is Jerry Buttimer?

Jerry Buttimer is an Irish Fine Gael politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Cork South–Central constituency at the 2011 general election.

He is a former member of Seanad Éireann on the Labour Panel. He was first elected to Cork City Council in 2004. He was an unsuccessful candidate at the 2007 general election in 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 Fine Gael LGBT.

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.