Thread: fish and game elections

Tim, you levelled a similar accusation at me some time back, regarding my support of Paul Stenning on a particular issue. You felt I was only doing so in order to secure some shooting for myself……with a chap that I’ve never met or even had a first-hand conversation with no less. Now that may be the way your mind works, but its not the way mine does.

And If what you say was correct, and I only have something to say at election time, then I’m not sure why I attend Council meetings with the frequency that I do (more often than some Councillors, it would seem). I’m not sure why I seek to inform myself as to the way the Council operates, or see first-hand some of the dysfunction that exists, or has existed in the past. I’m not sure why I choose to pull Council up on matters, when I see it operating beyond its jurisdiction, without mandate or without authority. Granted, a lot of these issues are historical, but they are a symptom of the institutionalised behaviour that has become ‘acceptable’ and common-place within the organisation. Although when a Councillor stands up in a meeting and bellows across the room at me about how offended he is at something I’ve said, then I sense a faint glimmer of hope that atleast he may have been listening 

Consider that in the last 2 A/W Region elections, there have been 4 first-term Councillors who have decided not to stand for a second-term. These are people who have stood for Council with the best of intentions who felt they could represent stakeholders in a positive manner, but have ultimately been ‘ground-down’ by either the system or the people within it, to the point where they feel they are no longer effective. Now, it could be that these people just aren’t cut out for the job and don’t have the tenacity for it…….but ask yourself what is worse, a system that is ‘broken’ and doesn’t deliver the outcomes it should, or the people who allow it continue unchanged either through ignorance or complicity?

As for a personal argument KWB, I will continue to pull you up on matters when you are clearly just making shit up. Why don’t you inform YOURSELF of the facts, instead of simply making up stories to support your beliefs.